37-years old former Tamil Nadu skipper Subramaniam Badrinath believes that Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can utilise the IPL 2018 as a comeback platform in the limited-overs international cricket. Ashwin has not played the limited-overs international cricket for India since July 9, 2017.
Ravichandran Ashwin will play for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the IPL 2018. While he was bought by KXIP for INR 7.6 crore in the 2018 IPL Auction, he was later selected as the captain for this season.
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The right-handed former Tamil Nadu batsman believes that Ashwin can take that as a platform for his comeback in the limited-overs international cricket.
Speaking about that, Badrinath quoted about the Tamil Nadu off-spinner, “I’ve played a lot of cricket with him. I know him as a person, as a friend. He’ll be looking to do something, he will be looking at this as a challenge. I think captaincy will give him that edge, a motivation to do something extra. You never know maybe he can lead Kings XI to a title, with an extraordinary season and his name will start coming up in the limited overs cricket.”
Ashwin had made his Ranji Trophy debut under Badrinath’s captaincy. The former Tamil Nadu skipper further added, “I don’t think it would have come at a better time for him. He’s at that stage of his career, where he should look beyond his own cricket. Not just performing as a bowler, but what can he do more. It’s a great opportunity and has come at a right time. Knowing him, he will look to take this up as a challenge. It’s not going to be easy but he will be up for it.”
Making his international cricket debut in 2008, Badrinath has played only 2 Tests, 7 ODIs and only T20I. However, he is an outstanding batsman in the first-class cricket where his batting average is 54.49 (scored 10,245 runs in 216 innings).
Talking about the best IPL teams for the upcoming season, Badrinath chooses Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He said, “KKR and CSK are probably the best franchises, as far as teams go, I can vouch for that. Only time can tell what will happen going into the tournament.”
Speaking about the CSK team, Badrinath mentioned that the core group remains same which will help the team in this season. The former CSK cricketer quoted, “Coming back after two years will won’t be easy. But CSK have players who have been with the past. It would not be a new team altogether even though they are coming back after a break. In Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, the core group is the same. They will be able to gel.”
Badrinath also spoke about the Indian wicketkeepers MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik. New KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik is now Indian cricketing sensation after a heroic knock against Bangladesh in the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy final.
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On the other hand, CSK skipper MS Dhoni is one of the best wicketkeeper, batsman and captain. Under his captaincy, India won the World T20 (2007) and World Cup (2011) while CSK became one of the most successful teams in the IPL history.
Talking about them, Badrinath said, “Dhoni is a brand on his own. He’s the best wicketkeeper. I don’t think you can ever compare Dhoni and Karthik. It’s not fair. MS is a special cricketer, he’s a legend.
“But the innings will definitely help Karthik. He will carry that confidence. He’s been playing well for last couple of years. It’s about how he manages the team. Bulk of the batting in the middle order will depend on Karthik, Nitish Rana and Andre Russell. These three have to take the bulk of the load.”
