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Former India's star spinner Harbhajan Singh slammed Chennai Super Kings' star batter Rahul Tripathi's batting technique. CSK opener Rahul Tripathi has faced scrutiny following a disappointing start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The right-handed batter has managed only 30 runs across his first three innings, failing to provide the desired impact at the top of the batting order. CSK roped in Rahul Tripathi for a whopping sum of Rs 3.40 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, and the team management made a notable decision by positioning him as the opener, which resulted in skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad moving down to the number three slot. The 34-year-old recorded consecutive single-digit scores of 2 and 5 in the initial two matches. While he displayed some resistance in the match against Rajasthan Royals where he scoring 23 runs off 19 balls but it wasn't enough to prevent CSK from suffering their second consecutive defeat.
Rahul Tripathi is shaking his body more but not scoring runs: Harbhajan Singh
Meanwhile, India's legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh voiced his concerns regarding Tripathi's batting stance. Harbhajan specifically pointed out that Tripathi appears to shake excessively while at the crease, which, in his opinion, is impacting his batting performance.
"Chennai lost back-to-back matches. They are making too many mistakes. First, they are playing Rahul Rahul Tripathi as an opener. Tripathi is shaking his body more but not scoring runs. Sorry, Tripathi is a very good player, very hard-working, but I am crystal clear that he should not be picked in the XI. If you are shaking too much while batting then when will you see the ball? - runs are not coming and the intent is also not visible at the moment from him," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Tripathi's struggles with the bat extend beyond the current season, as he has failed to make a significant impact in the preceding couple of IPL campaigns as well. Adding to the criticism surrounding Tripathi, Harbhajan Singh has also expressed his disapproval of CSK's strategic decision to elevate Tripathi above skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in the batting order.
"Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is a proper opener, has sacrificed himself at number 3 for Tripathi. The opening pair has always been a big strength for Chennai Super Kings, be it Matthew Hayden, Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, or even Devon Conway," Harbhajan stated.
Harbhajan feels CSK management has displayed a lack of clear direction in their decision-making thus far. He believes that a necessary change is to bring Devon Conway back into the playing eleven, replacing Tripathi, in order to reverse the team's current fortunes and improve their performance.
"Conway is also in the team, but he is not getting the chance in the XI. They have been clueless so far while picking the XI. I don't think Tripathi should get a place in the XI, but Conway definitely does," he concluded.
CSK will next face Delhi Capitals in their upcoming IPL 2025 clash at the Chepauk Stadium on April 5.
