NEW DELHI: Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa slammed Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for providing New Zealand’s rising star Rachin Ravindra with training facilities ahead of their three-match series against India.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the ex-CSK cricketer voiced his concerns after Ravindra trained at the CSK Academy ahead of his impressive performances against India, including a century and a half-century in the Test series.
While acknowledging his love and respect for the Chennai-based franchise, Uthappa emphasized that national interest should come first.
Uthappa said, “CSK is a beautiful franchise that always supports its players, but a line has to be drawn where the country’s interest comes before franchise loyalty, especially when it involves a foreign player coming to train and then competing against us.”
“I am not surprised that CSK always go over and above for their players but somewhere in that kindness, maybe I am not saying the right thing, I absolutely love CSK, but when it comes to the country, there should be a line somewhere where we do not cross that line,” he further added.
Ravindra, with deep-rooted ties to India through his Bengaluru-born father, gained familiarity with Indian pitches and conditions through his training stints, including time spent at the CSK Academy.
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Ravindra’s training with CSK involved intense practice sessions on challenging surfaces under extreme weather conditions.
“I was lucky enough, the CSK guys sorted me with 4-5 good days of training on red and black soil wickets. That helped me sort of shore up some game plans and work on a few positions that I wanted to,” Ravindra said following his sessions with CSK.
The situation brings to light a unique question about franchise responsibilities versus national priorities in the world of modern cricket.
India now face the challenge of regrouping before a demanding series against Australia starting on November 22 in Perth.