Kedar Jadhav’s Poor Performance Have Forced The Management To Look For Alternates:
A exciting encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Abu Dhabi was witnessed during the 21st match of the ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League ( IPL). Beating CSK by 10 runs, KKR ensured their third win of the season and reached the third position on the points table. Chennai Super Kings fantasied to win as they needed 67 runs off 42 balls with nine wickets in hand at one stage, chasing a target of 168 runs posted by KKR on the board.
The team quickly collapsed, however, as in-form Shane Watson returned to the pavilion after scoring a half-century. As MS Dhoni got out after scoring a below par 11 (12) followed by Sam Curran (17 off 11), Shane’s dismissal caused CSK ‘s downfall. Super Kings had an opportunity to win the game despite the fall of wickets as they needed to score 39 in 21 balls.
But Kedar Jadhav struggled with the middle of the ball and crawled to an unbeaten 7 out of 12 balls, leading to the defeat of the team. Having scored 58 runs in four IPL 2020 innings so far at an average and strike rate of 19.33 and 98.30 respectively, Jadhav has found it difficult throughout the season to score runs. Therefore, there is a chance that the 35-year-old, who joined CSK in 2018, would have to warm the bench for the rest of the season.
Here We Bring You 3 Players Who Can Replace Kedar Jadhav In The CSK XI:
1. Murali Vijay
It is possible to suggest Chennai-born Murali Vijay as a strong substitute for Kedar Jadhav. Although in the first three games of the tournament, Vijay was given a place in the CSK squad as an opener, his performance was not impressive as he flattered, scoring 32 out of 3 games, which led to his exit from playing XI. Captain Cool, however, can give the swashbuckling batsman another opportunity as Vijay is assisted by sensational IPL records.
In the early years of glory, he was a critical cog in CSK’s batting line-up, smashing two centuries and holding a strike rate above 120. The 36-year-old has collected 2,619 runs at a strike rate of 121.9 and an average of 25.9 in 106 IPL games played so far.
Thus, Dhoni can prefer to bring back the Tamil Nadu batsman in the opening slot of the batting order. This means that the great South African Faf du Plessis will have to play in the batting line-up at the third place and Jadhav will be out of the playing XI.
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad
With his success in IPL 2020, the debutant Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to impress the captain and the team management, which resulted in him being dropped from the playing XI. The 23-year-old went out for a duck in his debut match, although he could only score 5 out of 10 balls in the second match.
However, MS Dhoni can experiment in the Playing XI by bringing Ruturaj in the opening slot with Jadhav being out of shape. The Yellow Army can benefit from this move as Ruturaj is an opening batsman and has stellar records as an opener in the domestic circuit.
In 30 T20 matches played, Gaikwad has amassed 848 runs at the average and strike rate of 31.4 and 133.8 respectively. With the Pune Stalwart opening the innings for CSK contingent with Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis will come to bat at one down.
3. Narayan Jagadeesan
The wicketkeeper-batsman Narayan Jagadeesan joined the CSK contingent in 2018 but is yet to make his IPL debut. In the absence of their vital batsman Suresh Raina and the weak form of Kedar Jadhav, the management will turn to Jagadeesan to provide a balance to the playing XI.
The wicketkeeper-batsman made his debut in the domestic circuit in 2016 and has been collecting a lot of runs in his kitty since then. Narayan played for Tamil Nadu, winning 305 runs in 22 T20 matches at a strike rate of 111.7 and an average of 23.5.
He also scored 790 runs at an average of 34.3 and a strike rate of 84.1 in 23 List A matches. The necessary stability to CSK’s batting line-up can be provided by bringing in Narayan Jagadeesan at one down or two down.
