Murali will be influential

Murali will be influential
CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings coach Kepler Wessels said the mood in the camp was upbeat ahead of the team’s first Indian Premier League game at Mohali on April 19.

Wessels conceded that the team was short on the pace bowling front but said he expected the batsmen to make enough runs to overcome the shortcoming.

Pick and choose


About batting in the Twenty20 version, he said, “It is a lot about clean cricketing shots and positive batting. You don’t have the time to settle, but you can pick the right ball and choose the right place on the field. You can take calculated risks but you don’t have to slog.”

Wessels looked forward to the challenge and expected off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan to be influential.

Rescue the game


Speaking to the media, Muralitharan said Twenty20 cricket will eventually rescue the game. “People want entertainment and this form of the game is here to stay. I think Test cricket will not be affected by Twenty 20 since the players consider Tests as the greatest honour and challenge. ODI cricket could be hit.”

On the role of the spinners in Twenty20, he said, “I played a few matches in England and enjoyed the format. The bowlers have only four overs but the batsmen have less time to settle down. The spinner can take the pace off the ball and buy wickets.”

Meanwhile, Australian opener Matthew Hayden joined the team on Tuesday.

The Super Kings’ squad for the first game in Mohali was also announced.

The team does not include paceman L. Balaji whose fitness is being monitored. “He lacks match practice. We do not want to rush him into the competition,” said the side’s Director of Cricket Operations, V.B. Chandrasekar.

The squad for first game: M.S. Dhoni (Capt.), M. Hayden, S. Fleming, J. Oram, M. Hussey, M. Muralitharan, S. Raina, S. Badrinath, P. Patel, J. Sharma, S. Vidyut, S. Anirudha, R. Ashwin, S. Jakati, P. Amarnath, K.B. Arun Karthick and M.P. Goni.