A certified flag-bearer for everything from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Chennai Super Kings, seem to find themselves in troubled waters, while the rest of the nation moves on a day-to-day basis occupying their heads with what the most recent rendition of the Indian Premier League has to offer. The joint-most successful and the single most celebrated sporting entity in the diverse Indian sub-continent, CSK, who have an image synonymous with consistency, seems stuck scratching their head after three straight defeats on the bounce- the latest, a hammering at the hands of the Delhi Capitals, at home nevertheless. The hype around the season was palpable as Chennai managed to hold on to dear ‘Thala’ MS Dhoni as an uncapped player, which permitted them to hold onto skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, the swashbuckling Shivam Dube, and modern-day ‘Slinga’ Matheesha Pathirana. The excitement was handed a further boost as CSK resorted to ‘repatriation’ on a massive scale at the auction table, bringing back hometown boys Ravichandran Ashwin and Vijay Shankar. While things got off to a start consistent with a legacy-reassuring win over fierce rivals Mumbai Indians in front of adoring yellow-faithful, the cracks seemed to surface as Royal Challengers Bengaluru enjoyed a field day at the fabled MA Chidambaram Stadium, a place where the neighbors from Karnataka haven’t won in the past decade and a half. A change in setting did not help the Chennai unit as they made the trip to Guwahati, only to return empty-handed following their defeat to Rajasthan Royals before the Capital city side laid siege to the once impenetrable fortress MAC. As is a prevalent belief, CSK is more than a cricketing unit that gathers on the field to compete against contemporaries. Chennai is a sight for sore eyes during peak summer and a feeling of comfort for its innumerable fans. The profound connection the faithful feel with the men in yellow goes beyond words. And that is probably why the disappointment is discernable on the streets of the ancient city, with fans at a loss for words. CSK is no stranger to defeats. The side from the TN capital has lost the most number of finals, in addition to winning it the joint-most number of times. And the cricket-loving ‘knowledgeable’ crowd resident here has learnt to deal with the ups and downs of sport. However, this time around, there seems to be a sense of widespread disbelief- in the team and the position they find themselves in. Chennai’s attempts to strengthen their bowling unit garnered some plaudits following the conclusion of the auction, as the management splurged on spinners to guard the traditionally ‘turn-friendly’ Chepauk pitch. The quality of spin available at their disposal with Jadeja, Ashwin, and Noor Ahmed in the starting list nearly made a perfect record at home a shoo-in. But, alas, the reality has turned out to be a far cry from the dreams ahead of the campaign. Gaikwad, who was afforded the benefit of the doubt as skipper in last season’s failure to make it to the qualifiers, has been put under the scanner already this season, with pundits and followers alike digging into his choice of bowling rotation. For instance, his decision to complete a leaky Mukesh Choudhary’s quota against Delhi while Ashwin and Noor were left with an over each to spare courted questions throughout the city as DC managed to make way more than the par score- a total which would have been further out of reach had it not been for Pathirana’s efforts towards the fag end of the innings. While captaincy is a trait best learnt on the job, Gaikwad’s reluctance to deploy an all-out spin attack at a home venue which aids the turn has given rise to doubts over his ability to manage the armband. And as he looked to adhere to the culture existent at the club, he seemed to be missing out on the edge that makes new skippers good, and good skippers great. And just as it seemed as though it was time for Gaikwad to push the envelope, an injury has left him a spectator, reportedly for the rest of the season, as the former skipper, Chennai’s guardian of trophies and skipper supreme MS Dhoni returns to his decorated helm. Top-four Woes While Gaikwad’s record as captain might be questionable, what is beyond reproach is the batter’s craft with the willow. He demonstrated his abilities during his half-century against MI in the opener and again versus RR on the road. There might be some fingers pointed in his direction when push comes to shove in a big chase as his numbers do not match up to his potential. However, there seems to be no second thought for most Chennai fans in the idea of Gaikwad opening the innings alongside Devon Conway, like old times. Having opted to push himself down the order to No.3 with the Kiwi duo of Conway and Rachin Ravindra facing the new ball, Gaikwad seems to have put himself under added pressure during times of an early wicket. CSK seem to be overly reliant on their top four batters, with special emphasis on Gaikwad, for the bulk of their run-scoring with the middle order looking shaky at best. Chennai, who have conventionally had star openers shine for them on the most challenging of stages and surfaces, need the skipper to return to his former position to amp up the scoring rate during the powerplay overs- which has been another area of concern this campaign. Marshy’s Dream, Dube’s Nightmare Lucknow Super Giants’ Aussie opener Mitchell Marsh was quick to a cheeky response on being afforded the luxury of being deployed as an impact player who walks up just to bat. And the opener would be well within his right to call his position a ‘dream’, considering his three half-centuries in four outings this season; the same might not be true in the case of Dube. ‘Aaruchamy’ Dube, who gave spinners nightmares in the past couple of IPL iterations, seems to be living one himself at the moment as he has failed to touch the 40-run mark in his last ten assignments, save the one against the Punjab Kings, with a couple of ducks to make the report card look even more abysmal. And given the correspondence to his deployment as an out-and-out batter, who makes an appearance only to take crease, it seems possible that Dube needs to be afforded time on the field to get into his smashing rhythm, which seems to have betrayed the once-hailed Mr. Long Levers. The sensible approach to be adopted at the moment seems to be to give Dube time on the grass while fielding and a couple of overs to roll his arm over if need be, to get into the swing of things before he actually does come out to swing at opposition bowling attacks. Pride And Intent Maybe it is pop culture or maybe the proud history of the land, but hearts in Tamil Nadu hold the concept of ‘Battle it out’ close to their souls. And when such a core fundamental belief is dealt a blow, it rattles the foundations of even the most pristine marvels. Now, as crucial as Vijay Shankar’s eighty-odd-run stand alongside MS Dhoni in the DC debacle was in saving face in terms of the scorecard, it has had a rather detrimental effect on the populace that throng to the stadium with fervour, and turn on the tellies in swathes as the ‘intent’ of the side has been called into question. As appalling an accusation as it might sound, it is easy to understand the origins of the appeals to the CSK unit. Chennai’s run chases against RCB and DC were similar in the manner that the lower order only made it a point of avoiding an embarrassing big margin defeat instead of going for the kill and looking at the 2 points. The idea that the five-time champions were now batting towards a respectable defeat instead of an outright win has hurt the sentiments of the yellow-crazy fans. And a bullet in the pride always hurts. The Dhoni question ‘You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ That is a harsh way to begin a passage about the man who ended a three-decade wait to bring home the holy grail of the ICC ODI World Cup, but please bear with us. Imagine your favorite team pulls into town on an annual basis for a week and all your heart wants to do is to be part of the celebrations when the carnival rolls around, at least once a year if not on multiple occasions. But, wait, there’s a tax you’re expected to pay in addition to the ticket fare due to the fantastical levels of demand spurred by over-exposure and stirred up further by the hype. The hype around Thala. Now, would you as a self-respecting adult, go with the masses or stop and question it? The sheer frenzy every time Dhoni takes the field is enough to send one into a state of delirium and the financial benefits of the sight would be surplus to fueling cookware across the state. Such is the admiration with which eyes in Chennai revere Dhoni. But, Father Time, brother mine, comes for us all. However, given the march of time and the current circumstances CSK find themselves in, the pleas from the city are to strengthen the top and middle orders to an extent where a 43-year-old man is seen and treated as a luxury good rather than one that is expected to be a saviour- basically do not expose your crown jewel to public appraisal. But, wait, there’s a turn. Given the circumstances, the question boils down to optimism of the heart and pessimism of the intellect. ‘Captain Cool’ has been thrust back into the helm following the blow to Gaikwad, and the course Thala’s third stint as the Chennai skipper would take is still a mystery. But, hypothetically, if you were offered up an opportunity to have the sheer experience and battle-worn calm of a World Cup winner behind the stumps, going back to his den to bring back old glory, dare I say through spin, would you take it or give it a pass Trust the process CSK has a long-standing history of striking an equilibrium by rolling with the punches and adapting to the modernization of trends while holding on to their core old-school values. While the entirety of Chennai respects the traditions that we grew up with, there are instances during times of transition when one has to stray away ever so slightly in order to maintain the integrity of the establishment. Perhaps this is one of those times when ‘trusting the process’ is code for adding new weaponry to the arsenal that seems to be misfiring, even if only temporarily so. All that being said, CSK think tank needs to navigate a way out of the mud, even if by means of a lucky strike, as all you know the difference between a genius and a loon at times is nothing but the result. Stay with me, though; what if the ‘young’ uncapped wicketkeeper leading the team now has some stardust still left in his elaborate bag of magic tricks? Does the man of surprises have yet another spade up his sleeve that could instill stability in a seemingly embattled team? Well, who doesn’t like a ‘Return Of The King’ story? My recommendation? Fasten your seatbelts, in case the helicopter has zeroed in on its mark.