IPL 2021: "Play Ravindra Jadeja as a pure batter and leave out Suresh Raina"- Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has opined that the form of Suresh Raina in IPL 2021 is a huge worry for the Chennai Super Kings going forward.

While previewing CSK's game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Dafa News, Manjrekar reckoned that between Ambati Rayudu and Raina, if he has to pick one, he'll select the former. He said so because he believes the Andhra cricketer is a better long-term prospect for CSK compared to Raina.

Manjrekar said in this regard:

"The worry for Chennai is that both (Suresh) Raina and (Ambati Rayudu]) are looking off-colour; Raina more than Rayudu."

"But if I have to look at somebody who is a possible candidate for success going ahead, I'll go with Rayudu ahead of Raina," continued Manjrekar.

Raina has looked a pale shadow of his former self in recent years. While he averaged less than 25 in the 2019 season, he has managed just 144 runs in nine games at an average of 24 and a strike rate of 127.43 this year.

Rayudu, meanwhile, looked in brilliant touch in the last game against RCB, racking up a 22-ball 32 on a sluggish track.

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Sanjay Manjrekar points one change CSK need to make to their playing XI against KKR

The Super Kings will lock horns with the Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon.

The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium has been conducive for spinners. Considering the same, Manjrekar has reckoned that CSK should drop Suresh Raina and add leg-spinner Karn Sharma to their XI. That is because they already boast a long batting line-up.

Manrekjar said:

"Chennai - on paper looking very solid - a lot of batting depth when you see someone like Dwayne Bravo coming at 8 or 9. Sam Curran will be back, and that will add to their batting. Chennai might look to make one change in their batting because the worry they have is in the spin department, and in Abu Dhabi, we have seen spinners come into play,''

''That's where Imran Tahir or Karn Sharma could be looked at, but I doubt that Tahir will replace a foreign player. So what I would do is have Karn Sharma coming into the team and play Ravindra Jadeja as a pure batter and leave out Suresh Raina."

Raina scored an unbeaten 10-ball 17 in the last game against RCB. He'll look to silence his detractors by playing a big knock against KKR on Sunday.