When Suresh Raina pulled out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons, it was a big blow to Chennai Super Kings. After all, ‘Chinna Thala’ as R...
When Suresh Raina pulled out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons, it was a big blow to Chennai Super Kings. After all, ‘Chinna Thala’ as Raina is known, has been an integral part of their success. One of the few left-handers in the line-up and a player who has earned the trust of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Raina blow became a double whammy when it was announced a few days later that the experienced Harbhajan Singh has also pulled out due to personal reasons. The off-spinner, the only recognised one in their squad, has been an important role-player for CSK and was expected to feature even more prominently on the slow, spinning tracks in the UAE. And once again, he was a bowler Dhoni trusted.
If a team loses two experienced players just before the start of the season, it would generally induce some panic. But the manner in which CSK seems to have handled the mini-crisis so far is mainly due to two things: experience and Dhoni.
The experienced veterans in the CSK squad know what it is like to be in such a situation. They have all seen last-minute pullouts due to injury or other issues and as a result, they all almost instinctively realise they...
