IPL 2020 | Idea behind opening was to replicate the Narine tactic, reveals Sam Curran
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Sam Curran, who opened the batting thrice for the yellows in IPL 2020, revealed that the idea behind sending him up top was not too different from what KKR had done with Narine. Curran revealed that CSK took the decision after enduring slow powerplays in succession.
Purchased in the auction by Chennai Super Kings for INR 5.5 crore due to his three-dimensional cricketing abilities, Englandās Sam Curran turned out to be the find of the season for the Super Kings. In his very first outing in the Yellow Jersey, Curran bagged 1/28 and topped that with a 6-ball 18 with the bat to restate his all-round capabilities.Ā
With time, Curranās batting, in fact, started taking precedence and so high were the CSK management on the 22-year-oldās bowling that for three games, he was promoted to be an opener to give quickfire starts up top. The experiment did not go down too well, with the southpaw managing scores of just 31, 0 and 22 in his three outings up top, but, nevertheless, it was a reminder of the youngsterās value, versatility and adaptability.
Speaking in Sky's IPL Cricket Show, the Englishman revealed that the idea behind his promotion was to give him freedom to take advantage of the powerplay - something that KKR had done effectively with Sunil Narine.
"It came about because in our first couple of games we were quite slow out the blocks in terms of our powerplay. You've seen KKR have sometimes done it with Narine, sending him out there with no fear of getting out. It is probably the best place to bat: you look at the England side, and all the guys want to bat up top. MS said to express myself and not try too hard.ā
Like most English players participating in the IPL, Curran, too, has now spent four straight months inside secure bio-bubbles, starting with the Windies Test series back in July. Earlier this week, Jofra Archer revealed that he was counting down the days to exit the bubble and his franchise captain Steve Smith, too, revealed that participating in the BBL was a no-no due to bio-bubble complications.Ā
Curran admitted that life inside bio-bubbles can be cruel but added that it was important for players to not get too demotivated as, according to him, the number of ābadā days generally outnumber the good ones.
"I know speaking to the other England players that it is tricky. You look at the tours coming up and there's going to be a big schedule for all-format players. Some guys, I'm sure, will have to pull out at different stages. Some guys react to it differently: there are days when you're struggling, and days when you feel like you're coping OK.
"We've just got to keep trying to enjoy it: it can be tough at times, and it's just about trying to speak to the right people around you, and trying not to get too down on the down days, because there can be quite a few."
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ā Keerti ā¶ (@keertieyy) November 1, 2020