Chennai Super Kings have always given importance to experience players over young talent. However, the team management decided to change their approach after losing five consecutive matches in the 18th season of the tournament.
Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway were tried as openers and the three failed to give consistent results. Tripathi was dropped from the team before returning to the playing XI to replace the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. Conway was benched for the match against Lucknow Super Giants.
The decision-makers gave a debut to the 20-year-old Andhra Pradesh batter Shaik Rasheed. He partnered with Rachin to open the batting in a 167-run chase in an away game with Lucknow. The right-handed batter impressed Dhoni and cricket experts as he didn’t go for flashy shots and concentrated on cricketing strokes.
Shaik scored 27 runs off 19 balls, with the help of 6 fours at a strike rate of 142.10. The young batter added 52 runs with Ravindra for the first wicket in 4.5 overs. When Murali Kartik asked the CSK captain about the new opener, the wicket-keeper batter hailed him.
“He batted well against Lucknow. He has been with us for several years and has improved. This year, he showed his class against pacers and spinners in the net session. We needed a change, so he was given a chance. Shaik can hit shots, but I would suggest him to avoid hitting like other openers in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League,” he said.