Shane Watson speaks about a player who can replace Suresh Raina, says “He is a seriously good batsman”

Suresh Raina pulled out of the IPL due to personal issues, the reason is not very clear but there have been many speculations around the matter.

Chennai Super Kings went to UAE for the 13th edition of the IPL with captain MS Dhoni and vice-captain Suresh Raina. Later the side had a setback when Raina decided to return back to India and pulled out of the season due to personal reasons. While Raina’s decision will be a huge loss for CSK as he is a huge part in the franchise’s success but the management will have to deal with it. Shane Watson who has been Raina’s teammate in CSK spoke about the batsman’s departure and how hard will it be to replace him due to his phenomenal records.

“We have to (deal with the absence of Raina, Harbhajan). The great thing with CSK, as with all IPL squads, is that they have a lot of depth. It’s going to be incredibly hard to replace Suresh Raina. You can’t. He scored the second-most runs in the IPL, played the most games in IPL history. He has got records left, right and centre,” said Watson. “He is going to be hugely missed, knowing the conditions in the UAE is hot, more chances of wickets being drier and turning a bit more. Raina plays spin incredibly well as well.”

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Watson whereas has a player in his mind who could replace Raina and fill the gap. He feels Murali Vijay is a capable batsman and can perform in UAE as well. “No doubt he [Raina] is a big loss but we have got someone like Murali Vijay, who is a gun player. In T20 cricket, he has not got a lot of opportunities in the last few years. But he is a seriously good batsman. He was sitting on the sidelines last year, he might get more opportunities this year,” said Watson. CSK will play the opener of the IPL against Mumbai Indians who took the trophy home by winning by a whisker from the Dhoni-led side.