Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has revealed that a conversation with skipper MS Dhoni convinced him to arrange a training camp for the players in Chennai before flying out to the UAE.
The senior Indian contingent of the CSK franchise, with the major exceptions of Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja, assembled for a five-day camp in Chennai before travelling to the UAE for the 2020 Indian Premier League, which as Viswanathan stated, helped the players get in shape and acclimatise to bio-bubbles.
The CSK CEO “had reservations about conducting the camp” but Dhoni, highlighting that the players had not had high-intensity training for four to five months due to the Covid-19 lockdown, asked for the camp to be arranged. CSK were the only franchise to have an official camp arranged for their players before moving to the UAE for the tournament.
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“When we announced the tournament is going to happen,” Viswanathan told CSK’s official website, “I had reservations about conducting the camp here because the bio-bubble had to be created. In fact, I sent a message to him [Dhoni] whether it will be worthwhile having a camp for five days before going to Dubai. But the captain was crystal clear in his thoughts.
“He said, ‘Sir, we have not played for nearly 4-5 months. All of us need to get together in Chennai. We should be in a bio-bubble in Chennai so that we get used to that when we land in Dubai’.
“And also it helped in the boys getting in shape. This camp, though we had some reservations, has really helped. I am very happy we were able to host the camp.”
Ambati Rayudu and Deepak Chahar also pointed out the benefits of arranging a camp in Chennai. “To get us back into the mix,” Rayudu said, “this is very, very important. Even when we go to Dubai, we have to quarantine for six days. So this is crucial.”
“Now everyone is on the same page,” Chahar added. “No one has played cricket for five months. We all are equal. I think we will be better because we have experience.”
The CSK team, following their five-day session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, are currently in quarantine in Dubai but are expected to resume outdoor training on Friday, August 28.
