Super skipper MS Dhoni's tip to Chennai's stand-in captain Raina: follow your instinct
Super skipperu00a0MS Dhoni's tip to Chennai's stand-in captain Raina: follow your instinct
New day, new game, new captains. Suddenly, both Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings find themselves in a similar position, of having lost their designated skippers to on-field injuries. While Dinesh Karthik had a taste, albeit a bitter one, of captaincy last night, Chennai's stand-in captain Suresh Raina will take up the mantle today when the two sides face-off at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
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BIG CHALLENGE: Suresh Raina, who will lead Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Daredevils today |
If body language is anything to go by, Raina seems to be pretty comfortable with his new role. "It's a big stage and a huge opportunity for me and great exposure. If you see our dressing room, we have lots of experience in Hayden, Kemp and other players, so we should be doing fine."
Be that as it may, none of them is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In terms of sheer coolness, Mahi rules the roost and naturally there were questions about how much he will be missed. "He will be missed, definitely. But anyone who puts in 100 per cent in every game always runs the risk of injuries, so that can't be helped. But then, this is a team game and we don't depend on one player."
Any tips from Dhoni? "He told me to keep it simple, follow my instincts."
Raina had been the top run-scorer for the Super Kings in both editions of the IPL. Asked if captaincy would affect his batting, he said: "I will play the way I do. I always try to be aggressive and that is how I will play now as well."
Strategy, it seems is a bit of a lottery in T20 cricket, since the best of plans have fallen by the wayside. Raina's approach is more to do with how things work out on the day. "This is a real contest, the match with Daredevils. They too have a lot of experience in their dressing room and result of the game would depend on who is more positive tomorrow."
