Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is like a reverse-ageing fictional character “Benjamin Button” who keeps getting better. He revealed that the wicket-keeper batter is preparing well for the upcoming 2024 Indian Premier League season, which kicks off on March 22 in Chennai.
The Chennai Super Kings began their preparations for the tournament in Chennai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is training in the nets and is match-fit ahead of the season opener. Batting coach Michael Hussey spoke about the captain at the inauguration of the Pavit Singh Nayar Memorial All India inter-college T20 cricket tournament for men and women at the Guru Nanak College in Chennai. He said,
“He’s preparing really well. His knee seems good at this stage. And he’s batting extremely well at the moment. I must admit he’s like Benjamin Button! He keeps getting better.”
“He’s not as young as he used to be. So, the scampering between the wickets is going to be more difficult for him. But at the back end of the innings, where there’s not as much sprinting, he can still hit the ball very cleanly. And he’s hitting the ball extremely well at the moment. It’s great to see,” added Michael Hussey.
Michael Hussey on Chennai Super Kings’ injury concerns
Chennai Super Kings are struggling with injury concerns as Devon Conway and Matheesha Pathirana are set to miss the initial matches of the 2024 Indian Premier League season. Michael Hussey expressed both of them are “world-class players”, but they have depth in the squad to cover for the duo. He also stated that Rachin Ravindra or Ajinkya Rahane could replace Devon Conway at the top of the order. Hussey said,
“Well, of course, they’re world-class players. So, it’s going to be difficult to replace them. But we feel like we’ve got enough depth in the squad to be able to cover it at this stage. But, of course, we’re going to miss them. One, for their skills, but also their character around the team as well. So, yes, I mean every team has its injury challenges. You just have to deal with it as best you can. I think we’ve put together a really good squad with a lot of depth. So, I feel like we can cover it well.”
“We’ve got Rachin Ravindra, who’s coming in, who plays a similar style to Devon Conway. There are other options as well. Ajinkya Rahane played so well last year. He could also move up the order. So, I’m not sure which way the captain and the coach want to go at this stage. But, as I said, I think we’ve got enough depth to be able to cover it in certain ways,” he added.
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