CSG players ready for challenge: Lakshmi Narayanan

The Chennai-based franchise will have its task cut out in defending the title in the upcoming edition. CSG performance analyst Lakshmi Narayanan was confident the boys will rise to the occasion come the side’s opening game on July 14 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here.

“When we had a camp ahead of TNPL 2017, every player in the squad was aware of his role. As a result of the player draft, we have got some new faces in our squad. It will take some time to gel well but once the season starts, they will be ready for the challenge,” said a confident Lakshmi Narayana.  

Despite missing senior statesmen in Rajagopal Sathish, V Yo Mahesh and X Thalaivan Sargunam, the Season 2 title-holder secured the services of promising all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who plied his trade with Ricky Ponting-led Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League 2018. Opener Ganga Sridhar Raju, leggie M Ashwin and KH Gopinath also add good value to the unit.

The support staff believed the players were snapped up keeping in mind the sort of cricket the team has been playing since the introduction of the state league. “Every team has its own style of play. We at CSG play a brand of cricket which the incoming players will have to get accustomed to. We focussed on it at the draft and picked the members accordingly,” asserted Lakshmi, who was part of the India Under-19 World Cup title-winning squad captained by Virat Kohli.  

Lakshmi has been associated with three-time champion Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions, who mostly boast of experienced superstars. Asked if he faces any trouble in handling youngsters from the state, he remarked, “I have been closely associated with Tamil Nadu cricket for nine years and I have a very good knowledge about all these players.”  

“I have worked with most of these boys. I try to give valuable inputs to those, I don’t find any difficulty as I have been doing this day in and day out for years,” he added.

Lakshmi opined the results will be productive only when certain strategies are implemented with almost pin-point accuracy. “A lot of planning is a part of the process but it all boils down to the execution on the pitch. If we can deliver about 50% of the pre-match plans, we will end up winning on most occasions,” he concluded.