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Only 40.2 overs were possible on a stop-start day in Malahide

Firdose Moonda11-Jul-2021An 87-run second-wicket stand between William Porterfield and Andy Balbirnie anchored Ireland and put them in a solid position before persistent rain washed out the first ODI in Malahide.Rain delayed the start of the match by 45 minutes, and there was another 75-minute pause after the 35th over of Ireland’s innings. The match was reduced to 43 overs a side at that point, but there were only a further 32 balls played, as rain returned and continued past the 5.30pm cut-off for a 20-overs DLS-adjusted chase.Under heavy cloud, Temba Bavuma opted to bowl first in the hope that conditions would aid his attack in running through their hosts but despite significant seam movement and some turn, wickets were hard to come by. Ireland had plenty in hand but their scoring rate remained sedate until they returned following the first rain break. They scored 50 runs in 32 balls thereafter before rain arrived once again.Porterfied, who was an injury doubt after hurting a finger in the lead-up to the match, scored his first fifty since May 2019 while Balbirnie brought up his second half-century in three innings. The pair were steady against a three-seam, two-spin South African outfit, who were economical without being overly aggressive.South Africa’s new-ball pair, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, asked questions of the Ireland openers, beat them several times and induced edges in the first 10 overs. They would have been disappointed not to have any wickets to show for that as Ireland worked their way to 28 without loss.Ireland’s first boundary came off Porterfield’s outside edge, when he was squared up by a short-of-a-length Rabada delivery and the chance eluded Aiden Markram at second slip. His second boundary was more convincing. Porterfield flicked an attempted Rabada yorker through square leg. Paul Stirling took a little longer to settle in after an outside-edge off Rabada and an inside-edge off Ngidi. His first confident stroke came off the 20th ball he faced, when he pulled Ngidi over short midwicket.Andile Phehlukwayo, who did not feature in any of the T20s in the Caribbean, was introduced in the 11th over and was the only South African to have success until the 31st over. He had Stirling caught at extra-cover, top-edging a pull to end an innings that never really got going.Kagiso Rabada picked up a pair of wickets in the brief period of play between rain interruptions•Getty Images

Keshav Maharaj was brought into the attack before Tabraiz Shamsi and Porterfield appeared to have identified him as the bowler to target. He reverse-swept Maharaj’s second ball for four and tried to smash the final ball of the over down the ground but sliced it short of Rabada at short third. Balbirnie brought up Ireland’s fifty with a drive through the covers but could have been dismissed five overs later. He was on 15 when he tried to cut a Maharaj delivery that was not short or wide enough and top-edged to Markram at slip. Markram tried to take the chest-high catch reverse-cupped and the ball spilled out of his hands.Shamsi was brought on in the 21st over and started with a full toss that Porterfield swatted through mid-wicket. He went on to bring fifty with a heave over backward square leg off the 69th ball he faced and with almost half the innings left to bat, may have been eyeing a 12th century but fell 37 short. Shamsi was convinced Porterfield gloved a reverse-sweep that ballooned up behind the wicket-keeper and was caught by Markram, running from slip, and South Africa reviewed. Replays confirmed contact between the ball and the glove.South Africa hoped they had another when Balbirnie, on 48, attempted a sweep off Maharaj that cannoned off the pad to him in the chin. Maharaj convinced Bavuma to review. Replays showed the ball had brushed the top edge before the ball hit the pad. Balbirnie went on to bring up his second fifty in three ODI innings when he turned Ngidi round the corner for two.At the end of that over, the rain returned and reduced the match to 43 overs a side. Ireland had eight overs left to bat and their intention to accelerate was clear. Balbirnie drilled Shamsi through the covers and steered a Phehlukwayo slower ball through third man before chipping Rabada to midwicket, while Harry Tector hit the first six of the innings when he dispatched Rabada over deep midwicket but was caught behind two balls later.Pinch-hitter Mark Adair cleared the rope twice more, first with a cheeky bit of improvisation when he opened the face of the bat to ramp Ngidi over point and then sent a Rabada full toss out of the ground. The drizzle returned after 25 minutes with Ireland still due to face 16 balls, and that, eventually, was that.

The return of his pairing with Yuzvendra Chahal paid dividends for India

Saurabh Somani18-Jul-20214:50

Muralidaran: Presence of too many options led to the exit of Chahal, Kuldeep

Among the eleven Indians who took the field against Sri Lanka in the first ODI, perhaps none had a greater point to prove than Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wristspinner has not been part of India’s first-choice XI in limited-overs formats recently, and faced several questions about his form. He responded by bowling with guile and bit to return 2 for 48, putting to rest the demons of his last ODI outing for India, where he had given up 84 runs in 10 overs as Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes ran amok.After the game against Sri Lanka on Sunday, Yadav pointed to his past record when asked if he feared his white-ball career was over, and said it would be nicer if that was talked about as much as the times he’s not done well.”Sometimes you get hit for runs, but other times you get wickets too. I have taken three-four wickets often, taken five-six wickets too,” Yadav said. “If people talk about that more, it’ll be nicer (smiles). Nobody’s cricket [career] is finished after one game or two games. I think the last series was good for England because the pitches were very good in Pune. Spinners didn’t have much help. It happens sometimes, the pitch is not in your favour. But sometimes you should credit the batsmen too for batting well, rather than say someone’s cricket is finished.”Yadav did admit to nerves at the start of the game, nerves compounded by spending a lot of time on the bench, and within bio-bubbles, which can foster self-doubt even with well-intentioned advice.Related

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• Stats – Kishan hits second-fastest ODI fifty by a debutant

“Pressure… nervousness is always there when you play, and I was playing after a long time,” he said. “Rahul [Dravid] sir backed me a lot and motivated me. We spoke a lot, and he told me that I should just enjoy bowling, focus on the processes that we have worked on in the last 15 days, and don’t be tense about the result. I’m very happy that my performance was good. You’re definitely nervous if you play cricket after so long, and you want to perform well.”It is difficult in bubbles. If you don’t play, you get a lot of doubts in your mind,” Yadav added. “There are many people who want to help you, talk to you. But if you talk to too many people, then you create doubts within yourself also. But this is a team sport, and sometimes people get opportunities, sometimes you don’t. You have to just wait for your chance.”We’re lucky that the kind of atmosphere that is there in the team is so good. We’ve been in a bubble for a month, and the first 14 days were in quarantine in Mumbai. Then when we came here, the series also got rescheduled, so we got five more days. The kind of atmosphere that is there is so good, that we didn’t feel it [the extended time in the bubble].”Kuldeep Yadav is pumped after taking a wicket•AFP via Getty Images

The first ODI against Sri Lanka was also a return to the comfort zone for Yadav, being paired with legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal for the first time since India’s league match against England in the 2019 World Cup.”I’m very happy that we both got to play together after quite some time,” Yadav said. “I think we’re comfortable with each other, and back each other. Whenever it is needed on the field, I tell him something or he tells me things. Our bonding is good. Maybe because we’re so comfortable with each other, it shows on the ground. Our performance was quite good, and the way we did well, playing together after so long, was good for the team.”Yadav gave a straight-batted reply to the familiar question of what he made of Arjuna Ranatunga’s comment on this being a second-string Indian side, and whether winning by seven wickets with 80 balls remaining was an “answer” to the former Sri Lanka captain.”We don’t need to answer anybody, we just need to focus on our jobs,” Yadav said. “We have come here to play cricket. We’re really lucky that we’re getting to play cricket in this situation. Our focus is on our team and on how we can perform well in six matches, because we have a lot of youngsters. Definitely, we’ll see every match in the same way, that how can we win it for the team. That’s our motto. Other than that, who says what are their thoughts. We should focus on ourselves and enjoy our cricket.”The pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium offered a fair bit of turn, with Yadav extracting full use out of it. He anticipated more help for the spinners over the course of the tour.”I feel that if you bowl in the first innings, because it’s very hot and it’s humid too, the pitch becomes dry and takes turn,” Yadav said. “Definitely if there is a second game on the same pitch, it’ll spin more than in the first match. There are several pitches. Hopefully in the T20Is, some pitches get repeated, although there will be a time gap. But the kind of heat and humidity that’s there, spinners will get turn.”

As of now, India are scheduled to start their Test series in South Africa on December 17

Sidharth Monga02-Dec-20215:11

Kohli: ‘We are not playing in normal times’

India players are confident they will have “absolute clarity” around the South Africa tour in “a day or two or pretty soon”, their captain Virat Kohli has said. Kohli was speaking at the pre-match press conference for the second and deciding Test of the series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to end on December 7. As of now, India are scheduled to start their Test series in South Africa on December 17, for which they will have to leave India pretty much immediately after the Mumbai Test ends.However, the situation in South Africa is dynamic with the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, bringing a surge in daily positive cases and hospitalisations, especially in the Gauteng province of South Africa where India are scheduled to play the first two of the three Tests before moving south to Cape Town.Last week, the second and third ODIs of Netherlands’ tour of South Africa were called off after several countries, including many in the European Union, imposed travel restrictions on southern Africa. But the India A team has stayed back in South Africa to continue with its shadow tour before the Tests, which gives CSA hope that the senior team will make the journey.”Look, it is pretty natural [for them to wonder and worry and talk about whether the tour will go ahead and what the protocols will be],” Kohli said. “We are not playing in normal times anyway. So there is a lot of planning that is involved, a lot of preparation that is involved in terms of understanding exactly what is going to go on. There are players who are not part of the group right now who will be entering quarantine to join the team bubble to fly in a charter.Virat Kohli: “You want to have clarity and you want to be in a situation where you know exactly what is going on”•Getty Images

“Those kinds of things you want to seek clarity as soon as possible. So we have spoken to all the senior members of the squad. Obviously, Rahul [Dravid, the coach] has initiated a conversation within the group, which is very important.”Our focus from the Test match will not shift regardless, but also you want to have clarity and you want to be in a situation where you know exactly what is going on. We have been talking to the board, and we are pretty confident that within a day or two or pretty soon we will have absolute clarity as to what is going on.”We have to be realistic as well. We cannot just ignore the things that potentially could put you in a confusing place. And no one wants to be there. I am sure everyone is working hard towards finding clarity and giving us the situation as it unfolds as soon as possible. We all are hopeful that that will happen soon. Our prime focus right now is the second Test, and the other things are simultaneously being taken care of.”The BCCI has said the tour is on as of now, but the eventual green signal will have to come from the government of India. However, the board will also have to take the players along. It is worth noting they decided to not play the series-decider at Old Trafford in England when there were positive cases in the Indian support staff. They have been playing practically non-stop and moving from bubble to bubble ever since the IPL started in 2020.CSA nervously awaits India’s decision because losing out on an India tour could really set them back financially. There were reports that India might have asked for the tour to be pushed back by a week so that they can monitor Omicron a little more and then make a decision, but CSA denied any such conversation had happened. “There hasn’t been such request or discussion with the BCCI, hence it is purely speculation unless or until they engage us on this,” CSA’s acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki said. “So as of now, CSA is not aware of this.”

Trying to keep strike, the batter ran one short off the penultimate ball of the first innings

Tristan Lavalette24-Dec-2021Hobart Hurricanes were hit with a rare five-run penalty in their Big Bash League match against Melbourne Stars at Bellerive Oval on Friday after batter Tim David was deemed to have deliberately run short in the last over of the home side’s innings. This was the first time a five-run penalty had been enforced in the BBL, for any offence.In what was the penultimate ball of the innings, David hit a yorker-length delivery from Brody Couch to long-on, and while at first glance it seemed like the batters had returned for two runs, it was soon evident that David had avoided finishing the first run in an effort to get back for the strike – his partner was No. 8 Nathan Ellis. As a result, what could have been at least one run, and possibly two, ended up being a dot ball. Not just that, for the deliberate act, David’s team was slapped with five penalty runs under Law 18.5.1.David kept the strike, though, and earned five more runs for his team – two off the regulation last ball, which was a full-toss that was a no-ball for height, and two more off the free hit. That took Hurricanes to 180 for 6, and Stars began their chase with five runs already on the board.Adding to the drama, there was obvious chatter between the Stars players and David as the teams left the field at the end of Hurricanes’ innings.Related

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Peter Handscomb later said that the Hurricanes players felt somewhat aggrieved by the penalty. “Tim was just trying to get back to his end. He’s a big boy and can hit sixes so it was his job to get back on strike,” he told Fox Sports. “I’ve never heard that rule before but every day is a school day so you learn something.”Adam Gilchrist said on the Fox Sports broadcast that he had never seen that type of incident before and believed it was “not really in the spirit of the game. It was really quick umpiring to pick it up… good umpiring,” he said.Other instances of batters deliberately running short include Sri Lanka’s Roshen Silva in a Test against England in 2018, and West Indies’ Kieron Pollard in a match in IPL 2017.

Uncapped opener Kaitano and wicketkeeper Madande are part of the 15-man squad

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2022Craig Ervine will captain Zimbabwe for their three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The series is part of the World Cup Super League, with these three ODIs Zimbabwe’s first 50-over matches since a three-match series against Ireland in September.Ervine has been entrusted with the responsibility to lead Zimbabwe once again after he captained the team for the limited-overs tour to Ireland and Scotland in August-September last year.The squad sees opening batter Takudzwanashe Kaitano and wicketkeeper Clive Madande included for the first time, while allrounder Tino Mutombodzi has returned to the national side. Experienced middle-order batters Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams are also part of the side, while Zimbabwe resume life without Brendan Taylor, who retired from international cricket in August.The three games will take place on January 16, 18 and 21. The last time the two sides played an ODI series, Zimbabwe stunned the hosts, famously winning the five-match series 3-2. It remains the only multi-game ODI series Zimbabwe have won in Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka’s last ODI series came against South Africa at home, with the hosts winning 2-1.According to Zimbabwe Cricket, the side will leave for Sri Lanka on Saturday.Squad: Craig Ervine (capt), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Clive Madande, Wesly Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Sean Williams

In T20I rankings for batters, Mooney returned to top spot and Lanning went up to No. 2

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite has gone up a spot to be placed third in the women’s ODI batting rankings, after her knock of 63 off 67 balls in New Zealand’s 62-run win in the opening ODI against India last week. Former captain Suzie Bates scored a century while opening the batting and went up five spots to 17th rank.New Zealand currently lead the five-match series 2-0 after their tense three-wicket win on Tuesday.After the Women’s Ashes concluded last week, players from Australia and England also made gains. Opener Tammy Beaumont’s half-century in the final ODI took her three spots up to third place and Meg Lanning’s unbeaten 57 in the same match also took her up as many spots to place her right behind Beaumont. Ellyse Perry, who stayed unbeaten in the chase along with Lanning, broke into the top 10.Among bowlers, Sophie Ecclestone went up a spot to move to No. 2 after her spell of 1 for 18 from 10 overs in the same match. Megan Schutt also went up a place with her figures of 2 for 25, and is right behind Ecclestone, at No. 3.Lea Tahuhu made bigger strides, going up four spots to No. 13 whereas India’s Rajeshwari Gayakwad went up five spots to move to 16th place with her 2 for 28.In the allrounders’ rankings, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine broke into the top 10 by moving up three spots to No. 8.In the batting charts for T20Is, Beth Mooney returned to the top spot and Lanning also went up a position, to No. 2. Among bowlers, Amelia Kerr went up five places to No. 8 after her 2 for 25 in the only T20I against India, which New Zealand won.

The pair took the hosts to 199 for 2 and Sri Lanka wilted in the chase despite a half-century from Charith Asalanka

Deivarayan Muthu24-Feb-20221:51

Jaffer: Kishan showed why he should be in the T20 World Cup squad

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer blitzed a depleted Sri Lanka attack with half-centuries as India eased to a 1-0 lead. After flickering briefly in the T20I series against West Indies, Kishan caught fire on Thursday and at one stage he even threatened to reach three figures.Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka ultimately had Kishan holing out in the 17th over for 89 off 56 balls, but Shreyas launched from the platform laid by Kishan and Rohit Sharma. Shreyas’ unbeaten 57 off 28 balls swelled India’s total to 199 for 2, which proved well beyond Sri Lanka’s grasp.The visitors sleepwalked their way to 57 for 4 in their first ten overs. In stark contrast, India had scored 58 for 0 in the powerplay alone and the momentum seamlessly switched from Kishan to Rohit to Shreyas.Charith Asalanka held off India with a fine fifty in the chase before Rohit’s men wrapped up a 62-run victory.The opening salvo
After Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera rushed India’s openers in the first two overs with speeds north of 140kph, Kishan lined up first-change Chamika Karunaratne for a triptych of fours. Kishan then used the pace and bounce of the quicks to his advantage, pulling Kumara and Chameera for sixes. Kishan claimed six of the seven boundaries India had hit in the powerplay.Rohit had dashed out of the blocks when he opened during the T20Is against West Indies, but he was largely becalmed in the early exchanges against Sri Lanka. He did hit a higher gear when he picked a googly from Jeffrey Vandersay and sent it over midwicket for six.Kumara snapped the opening stand at 111 in the 12th over when he bowled Rohit for 44, with a cutter that kept low. It could’ve been snapped much earlier had Janith Liyanage not dropped Kishan at deep midwicket when the batter was on 43. Liyanage eventually caught him at the same position, off Shanaka, but the miss cost Sri Lanka 46 runs.Kishan rumbled to a 30-ball half-century and celebrated it with a helicoptered boundary between deep midwicket and wide long-on. While Vandersay kept hiding the ball away from his swinging arc with wrong’uns, the seamers kept pitching it in Kishan’s arc.In the enforced absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, who has tested positive for Covid-19 once again and hence has not even made this trip, and Maheesh Theekshana, Sri Lanka’s attack lacked any penetration.Shreyas’ finishing act
Shreyas, who was bumped up to No.3 had a fairly quiet start: he was on a run-a-ball 12 at one point. He then exploded against Chameera’s pace and Karunaratne’s lack of pace, taking them for a combined 43 off 16 balls. He brought up the fastest half-century of the game, off a mere 25 balls, and pushed India closer to 200.Sri Lanka’s rickety chase
Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka first ball – cleaned up by a Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivery that shot low. Bhuvneshwar took out Kamil Mishara, the other opener, too, having him drag a catch to midwicket. After being sloppy in the field, Liyanage was similarly sloppy with the bat, labouring to 11 off 17 balls.When the returning Ravindra Jadeja found quick turn to have Dinesh Chandimal stumped for 10 in the tenth over, Sri Lanka were 51 for 4. That they got a respectable 137 for 6 was down to Asalanka’s effort. However, he lacked substantial support from the other end as the next-best score for Sri Lanka was No.8 Chameera’s 24.The rapidly rising asking rate allowed India to experiment with Venkatesh Iyer’s medium-pace and debutant Deepak Hooda’s offbreaks. Venkatesh came away with 2 for 36 in his three overs while Hooda went wicketless in his three overs.No Virat Kohli. No Rishabh Pant. No Suryakumar Yadav. No Deepak Chahar. No problem for India.

Mominul Haque, meanwhile, has denied that Bangladesh complained about excessive sledging after the first Test

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2022Dean Elgar has told Bangladesh to “harden up” and accept the tough talk of Test cricket even as Mominul Haque denied complaining about excessive sledging after the Durban match. Bangladesh expressed their intent to lodge an official objection over both South Africa’s conduct and the umpiring at Kingsmead in the immediate aftermath of their defeat, which Elgar felt was an overreaction, especially since he felt Bangladesh were equally vociferous.”I don’t think they’re justified, whatsoever. We play the game hard, and if anything we were just giving back what we were getting when we were batting,” Elgar said before the second Test in Gqeberha. “It is Test cricket. It’s a man’s environment when it comes to playing at this level, and I intend to play the game hard. By no means did we swear or use foul language towards the Bangladeshi cricketers, because we respect them. We were just giving them back what we were receiving. I think they need to harden up and play the game at a level that maybe they’re not used to. We received it first, and we responded in that way.”Despite his admission that South Africa were vocal, Elgar insisted they never crossed the line. “One of my messages to the players is that we do everything with dignity, and we don’t throw our badge or our name away. I didn’t see any bad sledging out there, even from their side,” he said. “This is Test cricket, and we need to dry our eyes sometimes.”Related

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Shortly after Elgar addressed the media, Mominul was asked for his reaction to Elgar’s comments and indicated Bangladesh have already dried their eyes, as Elgar may have put it. “I never complained against sledging,” Mominul said, despite comments after the Durban Test that the umpires didn’t seem to notice South Africa’s verbal assault on Bangladesh. “In cricket, sledging happens, and you have to absorb it. You have to take it very easily. I think you guys heard it wrongly.”Among Bangladesh’s criticisms of South Africa was that they were particularly harsh on Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who is 21 years old, was playing in his third Test, and became the first Bangladesh batter to score a Test century against South Africa. Elgar denied that Mahmudul was a target because of his inexperience and said South Africa treated him as they would any talented batter. “We wouldn’t go out there and intentionally try and intimidate a young player. We’ll play the game at a hard level, but we’re not there to use language to try to intimidate guys. We’d rather try and intimidate by our skill,” he said.South Africa’s spinners ran through Bangladesh in the second innings at Kingsmead•AFP/Getty Images

But he was quick to caveat it with a bit of “in my day,” and reminded Bangladesh, rightly or wrongly, that things used to be worse. “Also, this is Test cricket. When I started playing it, the environments were a lot harsher. You were told everything that you didn’t want to know about yourself. We’re representing our country and we want to win, and if you’re playing a little bit of a mind game on the opposition, why not?” Elgar said.Ultimately, Elgar believed Bangladesh unraveled in the second innings because of the quality of the bowling and not anything South Africa said. “It was the level of intensity at which we were playing. I felt our intensity was right up there with regards to the conditions. Even though we were bowling spinners, the ruthlessness and relentlessness that they showed was world class,” he said. “Maybe Bangladesh got caught up in the moment, which played perfectly into our hands. That’s what comes with gamesmanship. You’ve got to outsmart and outplay and outwit your opposition. That’s the total emotional and mental side of Test cricket that people forget about sometimes. Then, if you incorporate your skill and ticking the boxes to the best of your ability, that’s what sums up Test cricket.”Elgar was also asked about the standard of the umpiring after eight decisions needed to be overturned at Kingsmead, four against South Africa, and had no complaints. “The umpiring was tough. I don’t think the pitch helped, especially with the variable bounce, which can challenge the umpires. I feel for them because they’re good umpires,” he said. “Marais [Erasmus] is the umpire of the year. Adrian [Holdstock] is just starting off in the Test arena, and he’s definitely not a bad umpire. After all, they are human beings — they do make errors, as do the players. But I’m pretty sure they’re going to learn a hell of a lot out of that. Whatever the umpire decides, we need to respect that.”Bangladesh also had three appeals not given against South African batters, but chose not review, and replays showed all three would have been out. They found no sympathy from Elgar, who reminded them that they could have taken matters into their own hands. “Technology is there for a reason. If you don’t use the technology, then you’re holding yourself accountable for their decisions,” he said. “Hopefully in the second Test we can have a better show.”Erasmus and Allahudien Palekar will stand in the second Test, with Holdstock as television umpire.

Former India head coach says that if need be, Super Kings should wait for the 2023 mini auction to identify their next captain

Shashank Kishore10-May-2022Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, believes Ravindra Jadeja isn’t a “natural captain” and looked like a “fish out of water” during his stint at the helm with Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022. Shastri is also of the opinion that MS Dhoni, who stepped down from the leadership role at the start of the season but was handed back the job after eight games, should lead next year too if he’s fit and ready to play.Related

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“He [Jadeja] is not a natural captain. He hasn’t captained at any level. So, to give him the responsibility I thought was a little hard on Jadeja,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out. “People might want to judge Jaddu, but it’s not his fault. He hasn’t captained anywhere. He looked a fish out of water, totally out of place and he’s far better off playing as a player. Because he’s one of the best around in the business, when it comes to allrounders.”So let him just focus on his cricket. That [decision to give him the captaincy] cost CSK a few games early on. If you see the form they’re in now, if they had this going early on, they’ll be right up there in the mix.”Two out of Super Kings’ four wins so far this season have come since Dhoni took back the reins, in just three games. They currently placed ninth and need to win all their three remaining games to stand a chance to force a playoff possibility.Shastri also said that Super Kings should take their time before identifying their next captain, even if it means they wait till next year’s mini auction to sign someone from outside the group, like Royal Challengers Bangalore did in acquiring Faf du Plessis, a former Super Kings player.Responding to a question on whether Super Kings could consider Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has only had limited captaincy experience at the domestic level for Maharashtra, Shastri said he wasn’t in favour.