IPL: 3 cricketers India have to thank CSK for
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are one of the best-managed franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Although CSK players are generally known for their experience and cricket IQ, various young players have been picked up smartly in the auction and have made their presence in the IPL felt.
CSK's IPL players who went on to make a mark for India
Captained by the astute MS Dhoni, CSK have overseen the rise of Indian talents in all departments.
With the skipper's influence on the national team selection very evident, players of the likes of Deepak Chahar (he first played for the Rising Pune Supergiant) and Sudeep Tyagi have gone on to represent the Men in Blue at the behest of MS Dhoni.
In this article, we take a look at 3 Indian cricketers who were groomed by CSK for international duties.
Honourable Mentions: Mohit Sharma and Subramaniam Badrinath
#3 Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay is one of the classiest batsmen to have ever played the game and he got his big break for India after excelling for CSK in the IPL.
Immediately after the inaugural IPL season in which Vijay didn't take part, the opener made his India Test debut owing to a couple of excellent Ranji Trophy seasons. But it was after a breakthrough IPL season in 2010 that the Tamil Nadu batsman truly announced his arrival in the limited-overs formats.
Over the course of 3 IPL seasons as a regular part of the XI at CSK, Vijay amassed over 1,000 runs with a sparkling 127 against the Rajasthan Royals being the highlight.
The elegant right-hander's technical prowess was evident right from the outset and Vijay soon became a regular feature in the Indian Test side, playing crucial knocks in difficult conditions in England and Australia.
Although his Indian ODI and T20I careers didn't take off, Vijay is one of the best Test openers India have ever produced and much of the credit has to go to CSK.