First a confession: I am so used to writing headlines that 'Dhoni leads Chennai Super Kings to Victory' that writing 'Suresh Raina leads CSK to victory' looks out of place. I am sure most of the fans have not yet adjusted to the possibility of seeing a Chennai Super Kings team led by Raina. Hope it does not hit us hard tomorrow.
Dhoni's Injury: A Huge Loss
As VB eloquently put it "The blow to the elbow, that put him out of action for the next few matches, leaves us without the biggest asset a 3-in-1 champion in dynamic form." Though Dhoni is a 3-in-1 player, it is his captaincy that the team would miss the most. Patel + more opportunities to Morkel & Kemp is a pretty good replacement for Dhoni's wicket keeping + batting talent. But it is the captaincy of Dhoni, that the team would miss the most. (I was half-hoping Stephen Fleming to come out of retirement and captain the team. )
So it was a surprise choice to see VB pick Raina ahead of others - Kemp, Hayden & Badri. I think the international experience of Raina and his consistent appearance as a part of the squad led the selectors to pick him. Now it is time for Raina to repose the faith shown by VB. Just hoping that this inspired decision by VB does not turn out bad like MI picking Harbhajan to lead the team on Sachin's absence.
Other Tidbits:
- Raina has very limited experience as a captain in the domestic circuit and has little experience of managing star players.
- Dhoni has advised Raina to keep it simple.
P.S: To know my views on whether Dhoni's injury will end CSK Campaign, please read my post at the official website.
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