Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was “surprised” when Dwayne Bravo was selected by the Chennai Super Kings for the encounter against the Mumbai Indians in the 30th Indian Premier League match. The veteran voiced his surprise, claiming that the Bravo hasn’t bowled in a long time. Dwayne Bravo led the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to their first Caribbean Premier League title earlier this month. He scored 145 runs and took eight wickets in the competition. The 37-year-old veteran, though, was forced to miss two games due to injury.
He hasn’t bowled a single over in the last four games since returning from injury. Bravo was also the most costly of the Patriots’ regular bowlers, with an economy rate of 9.49. Bravo’s selection was questioned by Manjrekar, who believed the latter was not entirely fit.
Sanjay Manjrekar has some thoughts on the inclusion of Dwayne Bravo in the CSK team which he shared with ESPNcricinfo
Manjrekar also said CSK made the right decision in selecting Josh Hazlewood over South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi.
“They reasoned that Hazlewood would profit more than someone like Lungi Ngidi on the surface. It is an excellent decision, in my opinion. Shocked, Dwayne Bravo is on the team since I heard he had bowling problems. Despite concerns about his total fitness, am shocked CSK chose him.”
Manjrekar also believes that Faf du Plessis’ return to fitness will help CSK. He added, “It is fantastic news for CSK that Faf du Plessis is back in action after his groin injury.”
While playing for the Saint Lucia Kings in the CPL, Du Plessis had a leg injury and missed a few games. Against the Patriots, he also hit a century. The former South Africa captain scored 277 runs in nine CPL games at an average of 34.62 and a strike rate of 143.52.
In the game versus MI, Du Plessis didn’t have a particularly good performance. He went out to Trent Boult after bagging a duck. Bravo, on the other hand, hit three sixes and scored 23 runs off eight balls to help CSK record a daunting total of 156.