I am in a special place: Tahir

“The passion of CSK fans makes me realise that I am in a special place,” said leg-spinner Imran Tahir on the sidelines of team practice at the MA Chidambaram Stadium that once again saw thousands of CSK supporters turn up to watch their favourite team train. 

“Every day has made me realise how lucky I am to be picked up by CSK. It is vastly different from any franchise that I have played for. I am thankful for the way they (fans) are supporting us and I can’t wait to play our first home game,” he added. 

Earlier this week, the ‘Lions’ turned up for practice in an open top bus that saw thousands of joyful fans wave and scream and thousands more turn up to watch the net session, giving Chepauk that Den-like atmosphere usually felt during match days. 

South Africa’s Tahir is one of the dangerous leg-spinners in the shorter formats of the game where wrist spinners currently appear to be the go-to men. “It is not an easy job, to be honest, but wrist spinners have done extremely well in IPL and in T20 leagues around the world,” continued Tahir. 

“Leg-spin as an art is unique, but it’s a big challenge for a leg-spinner in that he can go for 40-50 runs on any day and people think why did they pick him?” 

“Cricket has changed and it has become a lot harder for spinners in general. Modern day cricket requires leg-spinners to have a lot of variations to be successful.” 

“I don’t think age should be a defining factor, it is fitness and the hunger to succeed that matters. Brad Hodge and Brad Hogg are big examples, and why not? I have a lot of passion for the game and look to do well and deliver at every given opportunity,” he added.