Ruturaj Gaikwad of Chennai Super Kings in action during the opening match of IPL 2023 between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31, 2023 | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
Chennai Super Kings batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad’s blistering 92 runs went in vain First match of IPL against Gujarat Titans But opposition captain Hardik Pandya praised him saying that he would do wonders for Indian cricket.
Gaikwad’s brilliant knock in just 50 balls in which he hit four fours and nine sixes, powered CSK to 178 for 7. Titans chased down the target with four balls to spare on Friday, riding on Shubman Gill’s 36-ball 63.
“Some of the shots he (Gaikwad) played had nothing to do with bowling. There were some terrific shots. Full credit goes to him for the way he batted and if he continues to do that He is going to do wonders for Indian cricket.” Pandya told reporters at the post-match conference.
“He has the game and when the time comes, I am sure the Indian cricket team will give him enough support,” he said.
The 26-year-old Gaikwad has played nine T20Is since making his debut in July 2021, scoring 135 runs at an average of 16.87. He also played one ODI in 2022.
Pandya said that the way Gaikwad was batting on Friday, it was becoming difficult to bowl.
“Obviously, we all know the kind of player he (Gaikwad) is. At one point it seemed that CSK would score 220-230. We were finding it difficult in which area we should bowl to him. I really felt that we would not get him out at all.
“He’s an all-rounder, some of the shots he played weren’t bad balls, really good balls and that makes a lot of difference. As a bowling unit and as a captain, it made my job more difficult,” he added. made difficult.”
Analyzing his team’s victory in the last over, Pandya said, “Some shots by me and Shubman put us in a difficult position but again Rahul (Tewatia) played to the best of his ability and Rashid came and showed that.” What can he do?
“So overall we are quite happy but in a way we can learn a lot from this win. Even (if) we had lost we would have learned a lot.” Titans needed 41 runs from the last five overs but CSK managed to take the game down to the wire. It needed a cameo from Rashid Khan (10 not out off 3 balls) to settle the nerves in the Titans’ dressing room.
“It’s great to start with a win. We expected him to do what Rashid did, we saw a lot of trust and confidence in his batting, which he showed time and again. When we saw Kane (injured while fielding during CSK) lost the innings) which set us back a bit.
“I don’t think it was too long. It was five overs and 40 runs and we could have got it any day. We just lost one wicket too many.
“It depends on the shot that I played and the shot that Shubman played. It is not about blaming, it is accepting our mistakes. Within the team, we have set very high standards. Here Till the time we lost the game, we would say we were not at our best but still we were competing.”
Talking about his bowling unit, he said, “As bowlers, we are bound to come under pressure at times. My job is very simple: let them (bowlers) do what they are good at. And if They are confused, I always stand by them.
“I’m very lucky, I’ve got a lot of talented bowlers. I’ve just backed them. It’s that simple, they can cheat the batsmen but not me. When something is happening, my rule is: I Always back my bowlers till I know what is happening.” they are doing.”