Ajinkya Rahane is a very clever cricketer: Eric Simons | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Discarded Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane stunned everyone with his new avatar in the IPL 2023 as he reinvented himself and adopted an aggressive approach against the opposition bowlers.
Rahane, was picked by Chennai Super Kings for his base price of Rs 50 lakh, slammed a 19-ball fifty against Mumbai Indians and also played breezy knocks of 31 and 37 against Rajasthan Royals and RCB respectively.
He has a strike rate of 222.22 in the powerplay this season.
But CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons is not surprised at all with Rahane’s exploits with the bat saying he is a clever cricketer who has found a way to effectively play the T20 format.

“It is something that does not surprise me at all. I think people misunderstand T20 cricket, batting in particular. There are different ways of playing this game,” Simons said on the eve of CSK’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“It is important to find your way and who you are. Ajinkya Rahane is a very clever cricketer. He has found his way of playing the game (T20) and he has been very effective,”
“He plays traditional cricket shots. He has got a particular way and he has grown tremendously.”
Meanwhile, SRH captain Aiden Markram praised left-arm pacer T Natarajan.
“Yeah, we love Nattu (Natarajan). We know his ability, we know his class. He bowls the tough overs for us, a lot like what Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) does.
“He is very clear in his plans. There will be nights where the execution is slightly off. But, there will also be a lot of nights where he gets it right. He is a proper match-winner for us,” the South African cricketer said of the Tamil Nadu pace bowler.
(With PTI Inputs)