Rachin Ravindra said it is an honour to open for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL knowing the history connected with it. Rachin scored a fine fifty to help CSK defeat their arch-rivals, Mumbai Indians, by four wickets.
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00:00Ritu is an amazing player, I think the way he showed his class out there and scoring
00:04at a striker like that and hitting the beautiful shots he did, certainly maybe a fraction of
00:09a tricky wicket, holding a bit, but I think it was a good wicket in general, I think Mumbai
00:12bowled quite well and didn't quite skid through as we thought as a Jew wasn't in factor, but
00:17the way he played was testament to his skill in class and made my job at the bronze strikers
00:21end a lot easier.
00:22Yeah, I mean Jadu's experience speaks for itself, I think he's a classy all-rounder
00:40and the way he's finished a lot of games in the past, I mean you even go two years ago
00:44getting 10 off two balls, his calmness in the middle was great and his clarity, I think
00:48it was great to just have those conversations about what over we might be a little bit more
00:52positive, how it looks in terms of partnership and stuff like that and look he knows his
00:56team well, he knows the conditions well, he's one of the epitomes of CSK, so sharing the
01:01crease with him was amazing.
01:03You sir.
01:04So Rachid, you played Vignesh for the first time, so somebody playing for the first time,
01:11can you just talk about what he was like doing, was it a challenge to pick him off his hands
01:16or something?
01:17Yeah, I think he bowled brilliantly well, I mean wickets speak for itself and for him
01:22to, I don't know how old he is, he looks pretty young, so for him to go about his business
01:27in that way was cool and definitely was a challenge, you know it was unfortunate that
01:32he had to bowl that sort of penultimate over, something, oh 18th maybe, and then it was
01:38just an over that we decided to take down with a slightly shorter side, but I think
01:42overall it got beautifully, to get wickets like Ritu, Dubey, Huda, three experienced
01:47campaigners, three very good players, so I'm picking him to have a good tournament.
01:52Yeah, Rachid, last season you were in the team, in and out, but yesterday Ritu came
01:58in and said he knew CSK's opener as well, he was pretty infantic, when did they tell
02:04you that you'd be opening and is it a long term kind of thing?
02:08I mean, look, a few days ago I guess and Fleam's quite good at those comms and I mean it's
02:14always an honour to open for CSK knowing the history of it and you look back at the heroes,
02:20like the Hussies, the Watsons, the McCullums, the Duplices, the Rutus, I feel like I'm missing
02:26a few, the Haydens, missing a few names there, but yeah it's certainly an honour, the Conways,
02:30you know there's been guys who've done so well, so I'm definitely grateful to be in
02:33this role and look, I mean we'll take it game by game and we know it's a long tournament
02:38so we'll just see what happens.
02:40Rachid, last year you started well and kind of tipped it off, so what's your learning
02:45from the first season, last year's IPL and coming into this season and again having a
02:49very good start today, how has it been your preparation for this tournament?
02:52Yeah, it's been great, I mean it hasn't been too much training because I've been playing
02:56a lot of cricket, especially in the Champions Trophy, so it's been nice to have that, coming
03:01to similar-ish conditions, so that's been a cool bit of prep, but yeah, I mean you're
03:06right, probably didn't go as well as I would have wanted to at the end, but slowly starting
03:10to find a wee bit of a tempo in that last game against Bangalore, in Bangalore and hopefully
03:15it may continue.
03:16Look, we know T20's a fickle game and results go up and down, but hopefully I can bat the
03:21way I want to and hit good cricket shots and results and wins for all of CSK.
03:26You at the back, sir.
03:27Yeah, Rajan, you must have watched the IPL when Ashwin was a part of CSK, what's it like
03:33to have him back in the set-up now and, you know, you played a season without him, I mean
03:39the previous one, what's it like with Ashwin in this team now?
03:43Yeah, I mean Ash is a world-class performer, I've played a bit against him and you're always
03:48wary against, mostly in Red Bull cricket obviously, but look, he brings a lot of experience, he
03:54brings a lot of his cricket knowledge, I mean, just even in the way he talks about spin bowling
03:58and the tips he gives out and the way he reads the game, looks into the game, I'm sure you
04:02all follow his podcast and stuff, so no, he's a great thinker of the game and it's, again,
04:07it's an honour to share the field with a lot of these guys, he's great in the Indian game,
04:10so guys I've grown up watching, which is definitely a pinch-myself moment.
04:15You.
04:18We've played three spin-offs today on a plan of one, do you think the remaining games also
04:24it's possible to use spin-offs in home games?
04:28Yeah, I think so, I mean, you look at the dynamic nature of all three of them, you know,
04:32you've got Ash who can spin the ball both ways, Nor who can spin the ball both ways,
04:35and Jaddu who's just so consistent, so you've got guys who can bowl to left and right-handers
04:39and we've got other options too, on the bench too, and I guess I can roll some left-arm-offies
04:44too, so, nah, we've got a good spin-depth and even our seamers as well, so it seems
04:48like the balance of the team is nice and if someone's not having a great day then, you
04:52know, the sixth bowler comes in and for our sixth bowler to be, who Jaddu was today, or
04:57one of the seamers, is amazing and I think if the wickets are similar to this in Chepauk
05:01then I think all three of them will have a great impact on the season.
05:06Well actually last season of course on the dugout you would have seen quite a few ovations
05:10for MS Dhoni, but today being in the middle and then hitting those winning runs and spoiling
05:14everyone, so how was that experience for you, just to soak in what was happening and were
05:20you actually able to soak in the madness which unfolded in those last 5-10 minutes?
05:24Yeah, I mean, it's difficult to soak it in when you're in the moment because, you know,
05:28you're singularly focused on winning the game for the team and, I mean, it's hard to ignore
05:33that, you know, you hear Dhoni come out and the whistles and the noise and, yeah, it was
05:37cool to share the crease with him for the first time, he's a legend of the game and
05:40people love him here so it's special and, yeah, I think all the crowd would have been
05:45hoping that I gave him one and finished the game and he would have finished it but, yeah,
05:49I mean, it's just about getting the job done and, look, Dhoni's finished so many games
05:53for CSK and I'm sure there's plenty more to come.