CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings have had a line of elite openers. Right from the days of Matt Hayden, the franchise have based their planning on an overseas opener. Matt Hayden, Michael Hussey, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson and, most recently, Devon Conway.
Rachin Ravindra, battling with Conway for that overseas opener slot, wants to join that list someday. On the basis of his calm, assured unbeaten 65, the Kiwi is in position A1.
"It's always an honour to open for CSK knowing the history," he remarked to scribes after their opener against Mumbai on Sunday. "You look back at the heroes... the (Mike) Husseys, the (Shane) Watsons, the (Brendon) McCullums, the (Faf) du Plessis, the Rutus (Ruturaj Gaikwad). I feel like I'm missing a few names there. It's certainly an honour. They are guys who've done so well. I'm grateful to be in this role."
With MS Dhoni's status as wicketkeeper intact, Ravindra's secondary skill gives him the edge over Conway, at least at this point in time. However, the 25-year-old, who had a very good Champions Trophy, said the decision over his long-term prospects was still in the air. "We'll take a game by game and we know it's long tournament. So, we'll just see what happens."
Ravindra, who made his IPL debut for the same franchise post a stellar 2023 50-over World Cup, began his debut season in similar vein. After some quickfire knocks of 37 and 46, his fortunes worsened as the runs dried. He admitted as much. "(Last season) probably didn't go as well as I would have wanted at the end," he said. "But slowly starting to find a wee bit of a tempo in that last game against (Royal Challengers) Bengaluru (2024 edition), in Bengaluru and hopefully may continue. Look, we know T20 is a fickle game, and results go up and down. But hopefully I can bat the way I want to and hit good cricket shots and it results in wins for our CSK."
With Ravindra likely to retain his place in the side at the expense of international teammate Conway, especially for the home games, it's a good opportunity for the batter to make a name for himself up top. If he can, he will have the chance to emulate the likes of Hayden and Hussey.