IPL 2020: Shane Watson Names Murali Vijay As A Contender To Replace Suresh Raina

Shane Watson, the Chennai Super Kings opener from Australia talked about Suresh Raina’s departure before the start of IPL in UAE and stated that it would be hard to replace the left-handed batsman, although he has someone in mind who can take his place in the starting XI.

Chennai Super Kings went to the UAE to prepare for the upcoming 13th season of the Indian Premier League and looked to be in full flow with captain MS Dhoni and vice-captain Suresh Raina leading the charge. But soon news emerged that Suresh Raina would have to return back to India due to personal reasons. There were speculations but no definite reasons were given for his departure.

Shane Watson Feels That It Will Be Incredibly Hard To Replace Suresh Raina

His absence will be a big loss for CSK as he has been an integral part of their success in the past with consistent performances in the middle order. The team management will have to deal with his absence and find someone to hold the batting department together.

Shane Watson recently talked about Suresh Raina’s departure, stating it would be hard to replace the batsman in the upcoming season due to his phenomenal record in the IPL. He was the first batsman to score 5000 runs in IPL.

“We have to (deal with the absence of Raina, Harbhajan). The great thing with CSK, as with all IPL squads, is that they have a lot of depth. It’s going to be incredibly hard to replace Suresh Raina. You can’t. He scored the second-most runs in the IPL, played the most games in IPL history. He has got records left, right and centre,” said Watson on a YouTube show hosted by Nabeel Hashmi.

“He is going to be hugely missed, knowing the conditions in the UAE is hot, more chances of wickets being drier and turning a bit more. Raina plays spin incredibly well as well.”

Along with Suresh Raina who has the highest run-scorer for Chennai Super Kings, veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has too opted out citing personal reasons. Harbhajan Singh has 150 wickets to his name and is the third-highest in the leading wicket-takers list. Suresh Raina is the second-highest run-scorer overall.

Shane Watson Says Murali Vijay Is Underrated But Is A Good Batsman Who Might Get More Opportunities Due To Absence

But Shane Watson has a player in mind who can take the southpaw’s place in the starting XI. Shane Watson feels Murali Vijay is a capable batsman who can live up to expectations and perform well for CSK in the UAE.

“No doubt he [Raina] is a big loss but we have got someone like Murali Vijay, who is a gun player. In T20 cricket, he has not got a lot of opportunities in the last few years. But he is a seriously good batsman. He was sitting on the sidelines last year, he might get more opportunities this year,” said Watson.