These Cricketers Are Seeking Redemption During IPL 2019

Cricket is described by the romantics as the game of glorious uncertainties. Yet there is one thing that’s as certain as day following night, and that is the perception about a cricketer, surrounded as it is by their shenanigans on and off the field and their abilities with the willow or the red or white cherry, not necessarily in that order.

And so, some well-known names of the game would be facing their moment(s) of reckoning when the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League gets off the blocks on Saturday (March 23). While for some, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow could be selection to their respective teams for the World Cup in June, for others it is more a matter of reiterating their capabilities in the shorter formats of the game.

David Warner and Steve Smith – The two names at the top of this list would be Steve Smith and David Warner, the Australian duo who captained their franchises in 2017 but were banned from cricket in 2018, because they felt that the use of sandpaper on a red ball to make it misbehave was very much acceptable, as “everything’s fair in love and war”.

By the end of the month, the duo will be available for selection for their respective teams – the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. For 12 months, the duo has been cooling their heels, and though they’ve been part of a couple of T20 tournaments around the world, their official return will be with the IPL. Both have had had fitness issues in the recent past, and quite obviously, the IPL would be the stage where they showcase match fitness.

It would be a true test of the mind and body for them while taking on top-notch bowlers in the matches as well as in the nets. The other aspect of the test of strength would be when they face up to their mates in the teams in the dressing room, and the conversation veers around to the ban. As for verbal volleys from the opposition? Rest assured that Smith and Warner can expect to be constantly reminded of their wrongdoings!

Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik – If these two Australians are seeking redemption for their cheating escapade, the Indian duo of Ravi Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik would be doing so to prove that they do belong to white ball cricket. Ashwin has gone on record recently to state that his wicket-taking ability wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be when the Indian think-tank decided to go for wrist spin as a panacea for wicket-taking in white ball cricket. Besides his bowling, Ashwin would also want to showcase his leadership chops to the world by leading Kings XI to the playoffs.

As for Dinesh Karthik, he would be wondering what more he needs to do to secure a place in the final-15 for the World Cup. He has floated around the batting order, played a few match-winning knocks and chased the ball to all parts of the cricket field. The only activity that he hasn’t performed till date is turning his arm over – maybe he’d try that out for KKR as there is Robin Uthappa available as a spare keeper in the team!

Ajinkya Rahane and Ambaty Rayadu – Without doubt two of the better batsmen in terms of technique and strokeplay in Indian cricket, this duo has found themselves at the wrong end of the stick on more than one occasion. Skipper Virat Kohli earmarked both of them as his ideal number-4 in the ODI scheme of things at one point, but then did not favour them with enough matches to prove or disprove their mettle, a fact that some former cricketers have been harping on in recent times.

In fact, Rahane himself went on record to state that he was given short shrift after just four poor scores, whereas people like KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan have had many more opportunities. Rayadu has been silent, but must be seething within as even his future appears to have been decided by three poor scores in the recent encounters against Australia. Both will be hoping to make an impact for their respective teams- Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings- in the opening slot or just after.

Of course, there are others like Ravindra Jadeja who could still be hoping that his performances in the past stand him in good stead for a return to India colors, while for someone like Yuvraj Singh it could be time for one last hurrah on the cricket field, having gone off the boil immediately after powering India’s World Cup triumph in 2011.

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