Sanjay Manjrekar, Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer
Sanjay Manjrekar (Image Credit: Twitter)

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was ‘surprised’ after the Chennai Super Kings picked Dwayne Bravo for their match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in what was the first match of the second leg of the IPL 2021 and the 30th match overall of the tournament.

Manjrekar opined that Bravo has not bowled much in recent times, especially in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2021). He led St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to their maiden title in the Caribbean Premier League, Bravo made 145 runs and picked 8 wickets in the tournament.

He missed a couple of matches due to an injury and when he returned, Bravo didn’t bowl in the tournament anymore. Even when he bowled, his economy of 9.49 proved to be the most expensive one amongst St Kitts and Nevis Patriots lineup.

Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo (Image Credit: Twitter)

Surprised That CSK Picked Dwayne Bravo Despite Clouds Over His Complete Fitness: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar, therefore, believed that Bravo shouldn’t have been picked by the Chennai Super Kings for this important encounter, given that he didn’t seem to be fully fit. Instead, he felt that looking at the greenish surface, CSK should have opted for Lungi Ngidi over the 39-year-old all-rounder.

“They’ve looked at the surface and believed that Hazlewood would benefit more than somebody like Lungi Ngidi. I think it’s a good call. I’m surprised that Bravo is in the team because I heard that he may have issues bowling. I’m surprised that CSK picked him despite clouds over his complete fitness,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying in ESPNCricinfo.

Faf du Plessis, Chennai Super Kings
Faf du Plessis (Image Credit: Twitter)

“Great news for CSK that Faf du Plessis is fit as his groin injury was bit of a concern,” Manjrekar added after South Africa’s Faf du Plessis was named in the CSK XI.

The South Africa opener had a brilliant CPL 2021, though he suffered a groin injury while captaining the Saint Lucia Kings in the CPL and missed a few games. In nine CPL games, the former South Africa skipper notched 277 runs at an average of 34.62 and a strike rate of 143.52.

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CSK batted first after winning the toss and thanks to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 88* and contributions from Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo, made 156/6 in 20 overs. Du Plessis and Moeen Ali made ducks, while Suresh Raina made 4 and MS Dhoni made 3 runs.

Also Read: IPL 2021: Proud That I Carried The Innings For My Team – Ruturaj Gaikwad