In some ways, it could be said and might not even be too off the mark as well, that the CSK camp has run into all sorts of trouble even before the new IPL season could go underway. Isn’t that correct? While some members, reportedly, tested positive upon arrival to the UAE- the big, new destination for the ‘soon-to-begin’ season- there were a few key players who withdrew from the stellar T20 franchise league even before they could hit the grounds or the net practice.
Among then, Suresh Raina, often the bulwark of all the run-scoring for one of IPL’s most famous sides. And where the last few hours suggested, then Harbhajan Singh, as well.
The premier off-spinner, widely recognised and hailed as one of Team India’s most successful and important match-winners of his day, has gone onto hold his own place in the starry IPL franchise.
It’s, in some ways, hard to even imagine the CSK side without two of their most famous stars, in Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh. But, as luck would have it, while Raina came back to India as soon as he’d landed in the UAE, it didn’t take long for Harbhajan Singh too, to pull off from the checkered tournament.
The Punjab-born off spinner, has to his credit, no fewer than 150 IPL wickets, which is a lot, truth be told, especially since the IPL is a batsman’s favorite hunting ground, as some put it. It so turned out that the right-arm spinner shared that a few personal reasons were responsible for his pulling out from the mother of all T20 battles in all across the world.
And ever since it became known that not only Raina, but Harbhajan too, won’t be a part of the tournament’s thirteenth edition, several names have been doing the rounds as to who could possibly fill in.
Now, former India wicket-keeping batsman Deep Das Gupta, currently a cricket pundit on various sports media, has shared his mind space, suggesting who could possibly fill in Harbhajan’s big shoes.
So the question is, who was that name that got a vote of approval of Deep Das Gupta, the famous Bengal cricketer?
Apparently, Jalaj Saxena, according to Deep Das Gupta should be an apt fit for the CSK camp, especially at a time where the star-studded group is missing not one but two star performers.
Having said that, Gupta also had a few words of insight as he quoted, “I think Jalaj Saxena deserves a place, he’s a good enough all-rounder. I think they might look at him, he’s a very good option for Bhajji’s replacement. He’s someone who has got a lot of experience not just in red ball cricket but also in white ball cricket he’s been around for a while.”
The former right-handed India batsman also shared on the magnitude of experience that CSK are going to miss in the form of ‘Bhajji,’ as he would further add, “Yes, he wasn‘t a regularity, didn’t play all the games last season but having said that when you’ve got someone as experienced as Harbhajan and we’re talking about all those 50 plus matches being played on only 3 venues.”
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That being said, it is a matter of fact that thus far, the CSK camp haven’t named any replacement to Raina and Harbhajan and we may get to hear a notice in the imminent future.