The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ‘It’s good to start with a win’

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‘It’s good to start with a win’

Special Correspondent

Raina, Badrinath’s cameos impressed Chandrasekar
He said that Mumbai Indians could be dangerous

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings’s win over Kings XI Punjab in the side’s opening encounter of the Indian Premier League has put a smile on V.B. Chandrasekar’s face.

However, the side’s Director of Cricketing Operations is quick to add these are early days yet. “There is a long way to go but it is good to start with a win,” he said.

He calls Michael Hussey’s match-winning innings at Mohali “an innings of proper cricketing shots, innovation and intelligence.”

Chandrasekar is aware that it would not always be possible for someone to notch up a hundred in a Twenty20 game. “We have to be realistic. This is why we would need consistent contributions from the top six.”

The cameos from Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath in the first game have left him impressed. “These are the kinds of efforts that a side needs,” he said.

He is conscious that the totals are becoming bigger in Twenty20 cricket. Chandrasekar said, “We made 240 at Mohali but there was a stage when I felt we needed 20 runs more. Hence, it is critical that two of your bowlers go for less than 30 in their four overs.”

Murali’s value

Here, Chandrasekar acknowledges off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan’s immense value to the attack.

“His four overs are crucial. He will have to be used judiciously.”

He wants to wait a while before pass judgment about the young pacemen in the team. Chandrasekar is also cautious about L. Balaji’s match-fitness — “I leave that to the physio.”

He does not believe home advantage is a big factor in a scenario where every side comprises a majority of foreign and outstation players.

About Chennai Super Kings’s opponent at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, he warns, “Mumbai Indians can be a dangerous side.”

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