Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 27 : Former Australian batter Matthew Hayden, who also represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) expressed happiness that New Zealand batter Devon Conway has taken a leadership role in the franchise as a senior batter.
CSK is playing Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2023 match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
One of the biggest reasons for CSK's good show is the solid starts the team is getting from their opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. Hayden has praised Conway - who is the leading run-getter for CSK - is garnering a lot of praise for showing his versatility in the ongoing season of the league.
Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Matthew Hayden said, "Initially I was worried about Devon Conway as he was taking some time in the powerplay while Ruturaj Gaikwad was playing the aggressor. But in the last few games, Conway has shifted the gears. At the start of the season, the opening partnership for CSK was going hot and cold but now there is consistency. Good to see that Conway, being a senior player, taking the leadership role."
Conway is currently at the top three in the batting charts. He has scored 314 runs in seven innings at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of over 143. He has four half-centuries in IPL 2023, with best score of 83.
Another big reason for CSK finding its mojo back is the way their inspirational captain MS Dhoni is leading them. Giving a peek at the success mantra of the four-time IPL champion skipper, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh claimed MS Dhoni backs a player to the hilt.
Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Harbhajan Singh said, "The winning mantra of MS Dhoni is that he backs the player at his best and favoured batting position. Dhoni backs the players to the hilt and that is the reason why CSK is a champion team. He does not deviate from his game plan frequently or after every match. The players need to have that belief and faith in the management and captain. Only then they perform and MS and CSK team management understands it."
Earlier yesterday, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in their reverse fixture to go 2-0 against the old rivals in IPL 2023. Hailing KKR captain Nitish Rana for his brilliant captaincy moves against an in-form RCB team, the former India cricketer praised Rana for using the match-ups.
Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Irfan Pathan said, "Nitish Rana's captaincy has to be commended. It was a smart move to bring in Suyash Sharma in the third over after being in the attack against his strike bowlers. Rana knew that RCB's batsmen do not have a good record against spin in the powerplay and that's why he brought in Suyash. He got success and an impact player got out another impact player."
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