3 Indian players who revived their international careers after performing well for Chennai Super Kings in IPL
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been one of the most successful franchises in cricket history. They joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, and so far, CSK have won five IPL trophies. The Chennai-based franchise also won the Champions League T20 twice.
One of the key reasons behind CSK's success has been MS Dhoni's captaincy. Captain Cool's decision-making and ability to bring the best out of the available resources have helped the Chennai Super Kings achieve good results consistently on the field.
Even if a player is going through a rough patch, CSK back him to the fullest and give him enough opportunities to rediscover his form. Quite a few players catapulted their careers to the next level after joining the Chennai-based franchise in the IPL.
In this listicle now, we will look at three such senior Indian players who were dropped from the national squad, but they performed well for Chennai Super Kings in IPL and then made a fantastic comeback to the international arena.
#1 Ajinkya Rahane starred for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023
CSK's team owners surprised the fans when they raised the peddle for Ajinkya Rahane at the IPL Auction 2023. Rahane's IPL numbers from 2020 to 2022 were quite disappointing. He was released by three franchises in the space of four seasons.
However, Chennai Super Kings gave him a chance, and the right-handed batter did not let them down. Fans witnessed a new version of Rahane in IPL 2023. He batted with more intent and scored some crucial runs for Chennai this season. In IPL 2023, Rahane scored 326 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 172.49 and an average of 32.60. His contributions helped CSK become the IPL 2023 champions.
Courtesy of his phenomenal form in IPL and decent performances in first-class cricket, Rahane was recalled to the Indian Test squad for the World Test Championship Final 2023. In his first innings upon return to international cricket, Rahane scored 89 runs against Australia.
#2 Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra was dropped from the Indian team in the year 2011. Even though he bowled a spell of 2/22 in four overs against South Africa in his last T20I before being dropped, Nehra had to work very hard to regain his place in the Indian team.
Nehra played for Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors from 2011 to 2013. He moved to Chennai Super Kings in 2014 and revived his career by bagging 30 wickets in 20 matches at an economy rate of 7.68.
Ashish Nehra when asked about GT atmosphere with in team :
'It was based on a team which I played admired a lot and also a huge fan of, CSK. Things were always kept simple & they operate the things very well' https://t.co/bqnQBD8gN1
His brilliant bowling performances for Chennai Super Kings helped him return to Team India in 2016. The left-arm pacer also represented India in T20 World Cup 2016 and retired with a grand farewell in Delhi in 2017.
#3 Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu was dropped from India's ODI and T20I squads after the Zimbabwe tour of 2016. He did not get a single chance to play international cricket in 2017.
Rayudu moved from Mumbai Indians to Chennai Super Kings in 2018 and revived his career by scoring 602 runs for CSK. He starred in the team's championship win and soon received a recall to India's ODI squad.
He was a part of the Asia Cup team that won the title in UAE and then blasted an 81-ball 100 against West Indies at Brabourne Stadium, followed by a 90-run knock against New Zealand at Sky Stadium in Wellington.