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TATA IPL 2024: CSK need to get Kohli out in power-play, says Matthew Hayden
When the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 kicks off, all eyes will be on the clash between two formidable teams, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings. The spotlight will particularly be on Virat Kohli, the former India captain, as he returns to competitive cricket after skipping the South Africa series due to the birth of his son.
Matthew Hayden believes that if CSK wants to do well in the IPL opener, they will need to get Kohli out within the power play. “One thing is for certain, it's a blockbuster showdown. Virat Kohli this year is going to be celebrated across all the games. His record is a 30 average at Chepauk stadium with a strike rate of 111. You know what that means? For someone like Virat, even the greatness of Virat has been reduced in terms of his overall performance at that venue," said Matthew Hayden.
"It is a tricky venue to bat on, especially as an opening batsman. It gets a weird tennis ball-type bounce, and it's quite slow and difficult to play shots early, but the longer you bat, the game opens up and that's where Virat can be at his most dangerous. If he is prepared to bat the 20 overs, he can put together a match-winning performance. (A score of) 200 is very accessible at Chinnaswamy but not necessarily at Chepauk Stadium", he said.
"A 150, 130 at times has been plenty of runs when you get guys as good as Jadeja there who bowls stump to stump with the odd ball to turn and the oddball that stays low, it's really tricky, so they're going to need Virat Kohli out early inside the powerplay. They've done so thrice over the last 5 innings, and they'll need to do so for the 4th time”, Hayden told Star Sports.
During an exclusive interview with Star Sports ahead of the IPL opener, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared his insights on the strategies RCB can implement this season to secure wins. “Chinnaswamy is a batting paradise, there’s no doubt about it. But you need to get people out to win games. With RCB, if you look at their side, they have always had batting. But the problem with RCB has been the bowling," he said.
"The best thing you can do this season, if they are batting first, doesn’t matter, look to get 230, 240, and yes, it’s not possible every time, but with the kind of batting line-up they have, they must target at least 220 or 230, because a 20-run margin can probably win them more number of games. Not to forget, they have to rely on their bowlers to get the important wickets in the first six overs”, said Harbhajan.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif spoke on whether M.S. Dhoni would change his role in the batting lineup this season. “No, I don't think he's going to change that. Dhoni likes to play at the end. In fact, he would prefer that he didn't get to bat only because they have players like Conway, Rahane, Dube, and Jadeja who hit 10 runs in two balls in the final. Dhoni's role has become that of a mentor, as a captain, for the team selection, player development, and forming tactics,” he said.
Kaif also spoke about the scintillating form that Kohli is in the recent past. “Virat's form is brilliant. I don't remember the last time he played so well for so long. Yeah, he is a big player, but in the last two years, he's been amazing. In the World Cup, he became the player of the tournament and the hunger and desire to score runs make him a big player", he said.
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