Brendon McCullum excited to be part of Rajkot IPL Team
The mere mention of the name Brendon McCullum is enough to fill cricket stadiums worldwide. Be it in New Zealand or India, the elegant batsman has a huge fan following. The 34-year old took the cricketing world by storm when he blasted his way to an unbeaten 158* in the inaugural match of the IPL back in 2008.
Seven years since that astounding knock, there is little change seen in McCullum’s batting technique or approach. After his initial success playing with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, the Kiwi has also went to represent the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
But it was with the Chennai Super Kings side that McCullum built on his strengths and played many a useful knock atop the order. In 28 matches for CSK, he scored 841 runs, which included a century.
Too early to speak on captaincy: McCullum
The Kiwi captain quipped that he was excited to be part of the new Rajkot team and mentioned that he specially looked forward to playing in front of packed crowds. "Having played in India on so many occasions over the years, I am excited to be part of the Rajkot side for the next edition of the IPL. It has always been great playing in India as the crowds give you so much love, and they have an enthusiasm for the game which is unmatched," he said in an exclusive interview to TOI.
The explosive batsman also seemed pleased about the fact that he would be playing with his CSK teammates- Raina, Bravo and Jadeja. "In the Rajkot team, I will still be playing alongside Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo, with whom I have had a wonderful time at CSK," he said.
Questions remained about who would lead the new team, with McCullum being one of the contenders. However, the Kiwi exclaimed it was too early to jump to a conclusion about the same. "I think it's too early to speak on it(captaincy), as the draft itself has just happened."