Former Chennai Super Kings and Australia opener Matthew Hayden said he was not impressed by what he saw from the 4-time champions in the IPL 2022 opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, adding that new captain Ravindra Jadeja was nervous.
Hayden’s comments came after CSK were hammered by 6 wickets by KKR in the IPL 2022 opener. CSK looked rusty as they huffed and puffed to 131/5 in 20 overs, thanks to a fifty from their former captain MS Dhoni.
However, the paltry total was not enough as KKR chased down the target with 9 balls and 6 wickets to spare.
As Hayden pointed out, Jadeja looked a bit bogged down by the responsibility of leading the side. The big-hitting all-rounder never got going, barring a six off the final delivery of their innings.
Despite Dhoni switching gears, Jadeja struggled to get going and remained unbeaten on 26 after having faced 28 deliveries.
There was tension in the air when Jadeja was marshalling his troops on the field even as old warhorse Dwayne Bravo kept them alive in the contest with wickets at regular intervals.
“Even the nervousness they felt with Rav (Ravindra Jadeja) as captain it was so unlike CSK in many ways.
“I am getting a little nervous about CSK. They have got a new captain, a completely different outfit, some old heads there but there’s also a lot to prove. Also, there’s a lot to make up, especially after the opening night’s performance,” Hayden told Star Sports.
Things did not go CSK’s way as Jadeja lost the toss in his first match as the captain of the celebrated franchise. The new opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway failed as both of them got out in the powerplay.
Robin Uthappa hit 2 sixes to keep the scoreboard moving but CSK lost wickets in a hurry to slip to 61/5 in the 11th over before Dhoni joined hands with Jadeja.
“They have to get on a roll, that top-order. You saw Faf (Faf du Plessis) last year and Ruturaj Gaikwad last year, they have to replicate that somehow,” Hayden added.
“Robin (Uthappa) can’t stop with cameo innings, he has got to be the man who will bat right through the innings for CSK. Some big changes are needed, some big ground to make up for. Some challenging times ahead, I sense.
