As the highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) draws near, cricket enthusiasts eagerly await the opening clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium. Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared his insights on the anticipated battle between two marquee all-rounders, Glenn Maxwell and Ravindra Jadeja.
Maxwell, in stellar form with the bat, amassed 400 runs in the previous season and recently secured Australia’s spot in the ODI World Cup 2023 knockouts with a double century against Afghanistan. Known for his aggressive approach, especially going after bowlers from the start, Harbhajan believes executing such tactics in the spin-friendly conditions of Chennai would be challenging. He remarked, “It is a big task for anyone to just go out there and start hitting those sixes.”
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Having played in Chennai during the IPL and international games, the former CSK player emphasized the importance of a measured approach in such conditions. Harbhajan advised, “You have to give yourself time to play in singles and doubles. If you don’t play 10 balls here before you start hitting those boundaries, I think you’re putting yourself in a danger zone.”
Harbhajan, aged 43, tipped Ravindra Jadeja to have the upper hand in the battle of star all-rounders on the Chennai wicket, where conditions are expected to favour spin.
He commented, “You can get out any time. So in this particular battle, I think Jadeja will be ahead of Maxwell on that wicket, where it will do a little bit for Jadeja.”
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Despite acknowledging Maxwell’s prowess to turn the tides on his day, Harbhajan Singh highlighted the difficulty of hitting sixes from the first ball on such a pitch. He concluded, “On Maxwell’s day, he is unstoppable. But on this wicket, it will be hard for anyone to start hitting sixes from the ball one. But the only person who can do it is Maxwell. Let’s see who wins this rivalry.”
As both Maxwell and Jadeja take center stage in this clash of franchises, fans anticipate a thrilling contest where teams vie for their first points of the season and a positive start to their IPL campaign.
