Former India batter Aakash Chopra has expressed concerns over Ajinkya Rahane’s appointment as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. KKR CEO Venky Mysore explained the reason behind the decision, saying that Rahane’s IPL captaincy experience made him the automatic choice to lead the team this season. Mysore also explained that Venkatesh Iyer, who was the other candidate to lead the team, will be part of the leadership, hinting at future opportunities for the all-rounder.
During a recent interaction, Chopra highlighted that Rahane will be troubled by ‘captain-batter’ conflict throughout the season. While Chopra said he understood the logic behind the decision, the move could affect KKR in a negative way if Rahane fails to contribute with the bat.
“For Shreyas Iyer, they’ve got a domestic middle-order batter, who recently helped his side win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is in good form. But I do understand because KKR’s biggest challenge this season is the ‘captain-batter’ conflict that Rahane will face. For Rahane the batter, the best thing to do is open at Eden Gardens. Or else, bat at No. 3. Anything lower kills his chance to contribute significantly because he needs the powerplay,” Chopra told ESPNcricinfo.
Chopra suggested the ideal scenario for Rahane is to bat at no. 3, even though Iyer has been playing in that slot.
“That is the conflict. Sunil Narine will open and he will open with Quinton de Kock if he is in the team. Now will they tell Narine not to open after the runs he scored last season? Of course, he will open. So, No. 3, which is ideally the position for Venkatesh Iyer, is the best you can do for Rahane. Or else he will have to forgo his own ambitions as a batter,” he added.
Chopra’s sentiments were echoed by former India spinner Harbhajan Singh. However, Harbhajan suggested that KKR should’ve named Iyer or Sunil Narine as the captain instead of Rahane.
“Rahane’s best chance is at No. 3, because the openers are fixed. If KKR have picked Rahane only for captaincy, then I feel that could have been done by someone else like Narine, Iyer or Russell,” Harbhajan pointed out.
Ahead of KKR’s opening match against RCB next week, head coach Chandrakant Pandit, who has worked with Rahane previously, spoke about the team’s preparation for their opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 22. “Every match is different, and we have been preparing since the Mumbai camp and now we have started the camp here as well… we are going to play as hard as possible.”
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