It’s confirmed that South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen would replace the tainted Steve Smith in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2018. Smith stepped down from Royals’ captaincy following the ball-tampering saga. Rajasthan Royals, which was supposed to be captained by Smith, will now be led by Ajinkya Rahane. But the question over who will replace Smith was still not addressed. But with the latest piece of information pouring in, it is learnt that the batsman-wicketkeeper from South Africa is going to play instead of Smith.
The infamous ball-tampering happened during the 3rd Test against South Africa, where Cameron Bancroft was caught using a sandpaper to tamper the ball, later he admitted to doing the wrong and it happened with the consultation of Smith, as he was the captain.
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Klaasen was in a breathtaking form against India, where he single-handedly led South Africa to victory in the ODI’s. His form against India in South Africa could have been a major factor that played things up in favour of the Protean. He is young and is exciting, he also has a long career ahead of him.
The wicket-keeper batsman was picked for Rs 50 lakh from the Registered and Available Player Pool (RAPP) list. His association with the IPL will make him grow immensely as a cricketer, because he may not have countered slow-low spinning tracks in South Africa. It could hence be a career-changing move for the right-handed middle-order batsman.
NEWS: South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen to replace Steve Smith in @rajasthanroyals‘ squad for VIVO IPL 2018.
More details here – https://t.co/pw3YmNuQrh pic.twitter.com/qbDiOOptn6
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 2, 2018
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But the question remains: will he be able to successfully step into the shoes of Smith?
