CHENNAI: When Rachin Ravindra blazed his way to a 17-ball 35 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of the Indian Premier League, it felt like a teaser of what’s to come.
It was the first time the sea of yellow, one of the most loyal fanbases in the sport, watched the tall New Zealander draped in Chennai Super Kings colours.
Much like those watching on TV, thousands of fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium were stunned but in a very pleasant way.
He had played at the venue and impressed everyone during ODI World Cup last year but this was different. He was playing for CSK and he went about his business of accumulating runs in a brisk manner.
The scene was set for Tuesday. Rachin, once again, walked out to bat with new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.This time, the 33,400-strong crowd filled the venue were ready to embrace the youngster. And it did not take long. Rachin first flicked Umesh Yadav off his hips to deposit in the stands and then threw his hands at a short and wide delivery as the ball raced to the boundary on the off-side. In the next over, Azmatullah Omarzai, too, went short, but it did not bother the tall left-hander one bit. Rachin stood in his stance and pulled the seamer with ease. Omarzai went fuller and Rachin was waiting to tonk him down the ground. Two balls later, Rachin sent Yadav into the sightscreen before doing a repeat of the four through the off-side.
By this time, the chants were there. Breaking all the noise of the songs and whistles, one name could be heard — RACHINN RACHINN, almost rhyming with SACHINN SACHINN. While it is no way a comparison to Sachin Tendulkar, a venue and crowd that had cheered for the legend has found a new hero. There was a marked resemblance to another former CSK player and current batting coach — Michael Hussey — in the way Rachin’s footwork and batswing went.
The New Zealander continued his madness against Omarzai, he even welcomed Rashid Khan with a backfoot punch to the ropes. But a momentary lapse meant he had to take the long walk back for 46 off just 20 balls. While Ajinkya Rahane came in to bat next, he struggled a bit against GT spinners, but kept the scoreboard moving with Gaikwad. And when Rahane got out, came the other left-hander who would run away with the another quick-breeze innings.
At this point, everyone knows what Shivam Dube’s role is in the CSK team. Come in and smash spinners out of attack. Here he was up against R Sai Kishore and the first ball landed in the second tier. The second ball went to the cow corner with Dube down on his knee. No surprise, there it as -- ‘Dube, Dube’ chants.
However, just like everyone knows Dube’s strength, his weakness too is well established — short-pitched delivery. In came, Spencer Johnson. While Dube survived, Gaikwad fell (46). Shubman Gill went back to Rashid, and Dube did not spare him either. Another second tier six. When he came up against Johnson, Dube stood on backfoot, and took it.
He mistimed a few, let go a few, looked uncomfortable. But none of it mattered as he was still standing in the crease. Dube middle a few too, one through fine-leg for four and then over the square-leg fence. Cue, the DJ played the famous Tamil song from Vikram starrer, Saamy, in which the protagonist name is ‘Aarichamy’ a pop-culture nickname assigned to Dube.
Over the next three overs, Dube stuck to his methods to stand in his crease and survive balls not in his area and launch everything that is. There was a scoop shot of Johnson and then a slower ball from Mohit Sharma was lofted into the stands. A 22-ball fifty before he eventually got out to Rashid for 51 off 23.