Will Hussey's presence boost CSK's morale?

Till now, it has been ups and downs for Chennai Super Kings. I’ve enjoyed watching CSK matches. There is much to talk about their performance. They have performed exceptionally well without Hussey. Du Plessis has been the star performer while Badrinath gave a good support to his opening partner. The new opening pair Du Plessis and Badrinath handled the new ball exceptionally well. Especially Du Plessis, who presents the full face of the bat and times the ball to perfection which was not seen from the likes of Vijay and Badrinath. He is not pre-mediated in his shot selection i.e he waits for the ball to be delivered and then plays the shot. Moreover, he reads the bowlers mind and the conditions well and then he plays according to it. This has helped him a lot and is the primary reason behind his success.

Apart from the openers, the middle order has stepped up for the Super Kings. Referring to the instance at Chepauk, where CSK chased a challenging total of 205, it was a brilliant display of batting. The made sure that they had wickets in hand, so that they could take risks in the last five overs. Their middle order batsmen are smart enough as they played sensible cricket rather than trying to be aggressive and getting out cheaply. They phase their innings well by keeping the scoreboard ticking and make sure that no pressure is mounted. That has allowed Dhoni the license to go for his shots in the final part of the innings (if batting first). If they can take on the attack between 10th and 15th over, then a we would witness more high scores from the defending champions.

I would really appreciate CSK for the commitment they had shown in the field. They seem to be composed, giving their best and coming into the match at peak fitness levels. An ideal example would be the match against Pune Warriors, where their fielding was quite sharp and brilliant. Ashwin, who took a brilliant catch by diving forward to get rid off the dangerous Uthappa was simply sensational. This speaks about the improvement in the Super Kings fielding department which was not seen in the first couple of games. Steve Rixon, who has immensely worked hard with this unit, should be satisfied after the improvement in the last two matches.

The bowling department, which was a concern for CSK, has shown lot of character. An ideal example would be the match against Pune Warriors, where they were able get through the top four players of Pune Warriors cheaply. Bollinger was precise with his length, used short balls to perfection which had the Warriors on back-foot. They were able to read the batsman’s mind and more importantly, bowled according to the field.

A bowler like Bollinger would look to get at-least couple of wickets in his first spell. He mixes up his pace quite well, alters his length which keeps the batsmen guessing.

Now with his winning combination, a natural question arise in my mind. How far can the morale in the team change when Hussey arrives? Definitely, there would be a big-discussion in the team. Du Plessis cannot be dropped until he is unfit as he has been the leading run getter for Chennai Super Kings. Importance of Bollinger should be taken into account and it would be tough choosing between the two world class all-rounders like Bravo and Morkel.

What I feel, Du Plessis should be dropped if Hussey arrives. Bravo has been a great all-rounder for CSK. Bravo has the ability to bowl tight lines in the final overs along with the ability to curb the run flow so. On the other hand, Morkel is a game changer as he showed against RCB. So all the facts should be taken into account and then the playing XI should be decided.

You can’t leave Hussey out of the game. He has the capacity to bat for full 20 overs. His footwork is precise, times the ball to perfection just like Du Plessis. But Hussey has the patience even in Twenty20, as he played an excellent knock of 83* against RCB last year in his first match of the last season. I am excited about Hussey’s arrival and how far he brings changes to the team.

I too feel, his arrival will boost the scoring rate. As far as now, the middle order and openers are trying to be defensively as they fear a batting collapse. Hussey will surely turn things around for CSK and give support to the other big hitters present in their team.

I am sure CSK’s performance will be better after Hussey’s arrival!