S Badrinath is confident of a good show by Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League T20 tournament which begins with the qualifiers on September 17. His confidence stems from the fact that his team has always done well in the format, winning the IPL twice and the Champions League once.
Moreover, key players including skipper MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Murali Vijay are all in good form.
“Since we have a good side, we have a very fair chance to have a crack at the title. It is a question of playing to the potential. If we manage to do it, we can go a long way in the tournament. We have an all-round team that has the ability to adapt and adjust to the conditions and situations,” said Badrinath.
“Having won the IPL and Champions League, we do have a fair idea of how to go about the process and we will definitely not disappoint our fans,” he added.
“Key players being in good form certainly augurs well for the side. Some guys are coming after a successful tour, some after a break. When you have key players in good shape, the job becomes easier,” opined the batsman.
Dhoni was a bit shaky as a batsman against England last year but has been in roaring form in all the formats ever since his double hundred against Australia at Chennai.
“The double against Australia was a revelation. From then on, he has been splendid with the bat. He is one player who can single-handedly change the complexion of a game. Pressure is something Dhoni by now knows best to handle,” said Badrinath.
CSK are in group B with Titans (South Africa), Brisbane Heat (Australia), Trinidad & Tobago (West Indies). CSK will have a camp in Ranchi from September 17. “Frankly, we do not know much about the teams in our group. In T20 we cannot take any team lightly. I believe the teams must have done fairly well to qualify for the Champions League. We are looking forward to our first game,” he said. Badrinath has been in good form in the TNCA league and also played in the Buchi Babu tournament to prepare for the season ahead.
“I am in pretty good shape. I played Buchi Babu and I am hitting the ball well. I hope to make an impact and impress the selectors,” said Badrinath.
Known to possess a compact technique in Ranji Trophy, Badrinath has improvised a lot to adapt to T20. He plays the upper cut, slog sweep and inside-out shots with effortless ease. He has also earned the respect of Dhoni, who considers Badrinath a ‘utility’ and key player for CSK.
“When your captain has so much faith and confidence in you, one automatically tends to deliver. We have played together for six years and he certainly helped me improve my repertoire of strokes,” said Badrinath, stressing that CSK will miss the Chepauk crowd in Ranchi.
This may perhaps be the last time that the current CSK players will be playing as a unit. With fresh IPL auctions next year, the combination might change.
“Yes, it has been a great unit. We have had some very good times together and played quality cricket as a unit.
Next year, we do not know who wil l play where. So I wish to catch up with the players in Ranchi and spend some quality time with them,” signed off Badrinath.