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IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings now looks like a team that can easily make the playoffs

Chennai Super Kings beats Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets with eight balls to spare, its fourth win lifting it to third on the points table

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Ravindra Jadeja of Chennai Super Kings bowling during match 29 of the Tata Indian Premier League between the Chennai Super Kings and the Sunrisers Hyderabad held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on the 21st April 2023Photo by: Saikat Das / SPORTZPICS for IPL
by

James Jose

Published: Fri 21 Apr 2023, 10:24 PM

As British band Coldplay’s hit song Yellow’s chorus goes ‘And it was all yellow,’ the magnificent Chepauk turned yellow as it always does for its home team the Chennai Super Kings. And MS Dhoni’s not-so-a-dad’s-army turned in another clinical performance, this time against southern neighbours Sunrisers Hyderabad.

CSK was back to winning ways at its fortress after that blip against the Rajasthan Royals earlier.

Wily left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja set things up for CSK with a brilliant bowling performance where he emerged with three Hyderabad scalps.

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Faced with a modest chase of 135, the Chennai Super Kings took it down with precision with the openers Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the forefront of it.

Chennai Super Kings won by seven wickets with eight balls to spare, its fourth win lifting it to third on the points table behind leader Rajasthan Royals and the Lucknow Super Giants.

Here are a few key points from the match.

Super Jaddu

Ravindra Jadeja, who returned from a knee injury that had kept him out for more than a while, has come into his own again as he once was, and is in fact getting even better. The all-rounder, who is affectionately called ‘Jaddu,’ perhaps had time to reflect during the injury and has come back a better man. He has kept things simple and yet he has been quite effective.

With the pitches not turning that much, Jadeja is bowling a lot quicker so as to not give the batters the freedom nor the time. And that has reaped him the rewards.

Bringing the best out

Jadeja has his captain MS Dhoni to thank for his performances as the latter brings the best out of the all-rounder. MSD has had a major role to play in Jadeja’s rise as he gives him the platform to display his skills.

And Jadeja is more confident now in himself and bowls and bats with freedom and expresses himself.

The old fox MSD

He may be 41 but that old fox MSD has shown he hasn’t lost any of his touch when leading the side. He continues to show his street smartness while marshalling his men and has blended this team of old and young players to a fighting unit. He has everything under control in his big wicketkeeping gloves and is still lightningly quick behind the stumps. Under him, Chennai now looks like a team that should easily make it to the playoffs.

Sorting the order

Sunrisers Hyderabad have some soul searching to do after suffering its fourth defeat in six matches. It has perhaps got its batting order wrong with Mayank Agarwal, essentially an opener, coming way down at No.6 against CSK.

The thinking behind going in with exciting Englishman Harry Brook and Abhishek Sharma as openers is to have a right-left combination. But they would be better served to send Agarwal up top and maybe even bring Brook down to No.4 or No.5.

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James Jose

Published: Fri 21 Apr 2023, 10:24 PM

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