It has been a brilliant start for Rachin Ravindra in IPL 2024 and the New Zealand all-rounder has contributed immensely to his side’s wins in the first two matches of the competition. Ravindra got a good start on both occasions and narrowly missed a half-century. Ravindra was picked by CSK for Rs 1.8 crore at the auction and he believes that the mentality of the franchise is what makes the franchise so successful. The five-time champions have started the tournament positively with Ravindra showing that the team does not have a strict hierarchy and that they can have good conversations with the coaches.
“It was pretty special. I think when we were looking at the auction and as soon as it happened (being signed by CSK), I had Dave (Devon Conway) call, Santner messaged me and then obviously Flem (Fleming). So that is pretty cool… a lot of guys, not just the guys from abroad, but the Indian guys are such good people. So it’s very easy to get along with people in a team like this,” Rachin said when he joined CSK came.
He also said that Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni are always available for discussions.
“It’s more about players being able to feel comfortable, players knowing their roles and quite a relaxed environment, which makes everyone feel a bit more relaxed and get along better. It doesn’t feel like it’s a hierarchy because you can always have a nice conversation with Flem if you want, you can have a conversation with Hussey, you can have a conversation with MS Dhoni, you can have a conversation with Rutu. It’s all pretty chill, which means a lot to me. I can come in and just not try to be anyone else. I can just be myself in that environment and make it happen,” Rachin added.
Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey said the ‘Impact Player’ rule has extended their batting order, allowing former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to come in only at number eight during this IPL.
The ‘Impact Player’ rule, introduced from the 2023 edition, allows each franchise to appoint five substitutes, one of whom can act as a substitute during the course of the match.
CSK played against Gujarat Titans here on Tuesday and managed to post a match-winning total of 206 for six.
However, with seven batters coming to bat, there were no signs of Dhoni coming in even as his fans got a little impatient.
“It’s definitely been a directive from head coach (Stephen) Fleming to keep pushing the game forward. The ‘Impact Player’ has extended the batting order, with MSD at number eight, which is crazy, and he’s batting well (in the nets) . ) at the moment,” Hussey told reporters during the post-match media interaction.
“This allows the batters in the rankings to choose the positive (attacking) route. They certainly have the support of the coaches and the captain. Even if that gets them off, it’s fine and they won’t be criticized. We want to keep playing fast.”
(With PTI inputs)
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