South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir said he had goosebumps every time he turned up for three-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
“Every game I played for CSK gave me goosebumps, a really special feeling about it...we play so well as a team,” Tahir was quoted as saying on the CSK website.
“We just try to play as hard as we can and win as many games as possible for CSK, enjoy each other’s success and that’s what makes Chennai such a special team,” Tahir, who was part of the Chennai-based outfit’s win in 2018, added.
The 41-year-old had joined the side only in 2018 but there were plenty of seasoned campaigners in the CSK ranks, including his South Africa teammate Faf du Plessis. “The day I put on the Chennai Super Kings cap was one of the special moments of my life. I never knew I was going to be around special people and [be part] of a special squad,” Tahir said.
Tahir, winner of the purple cap in 2019 season, said his CSK teammates instantly made him feel welcome in the dressing room.
“It’s a family really, and I never really felt that in any other franchise anywhere. It’s very special, not just to me but close to my family’s heart as well. My son always sings the CSK song when he is at the ground and when I am playing for Chennai. He just loves it,” Tahir added.
The veteran leggie also fondly remembered the open-top bus parade in the run-up to the 2018 season, when CSK returned to the IPL after a two-year ban following their involvement in the spot-fixing scandal in 2013.
“Unreal to see the support the fans gave us, it was amazing, something that I’d never witnessed before in my life. Grateful to everyone who supports CSK,” he said.
The 2020 IPL season, scheduled to begin on March 29, has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
