Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started their campaign with a win as the defending champions defeated the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of IPL 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as well. The win also marked Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first win as CSK’s captain, as the youngster embarked on a new role as well. Expectations were high from him and Gaikwad took the responsibility positively. He showcased good captaincy skills under pressure as well.
While speaking to Ravi Shastri during the post-match presentation, the newly appointed CSK captain said that he enjoyed leading the side and was courteous to the former CSK captain as well, saying that he had Dhoni by his side.
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“I’ve always enjoyed it (captaincy), never felt it as an additional pressure. I had experience on how to handle it, never felt any pressure, obviously had Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai as well. Total control I would say, right from the start (apart) from 2-3 overs. Would’ve loved 10-15 runs less but I think they played really well towards the end. I feel that was a big turning point to get Maxwell and Faf out. We got three quick wickets and it helped us control the next overs, that was the real turning point,” Ruturaj Gaikwad shared.
Meanwhile, RCB batters Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat did well in the first innings, which helped RCB reach 173/6 from what was 78/5 at one stage. While it looked like a tough chase to pull off, CSK batters dominated thoroughly. While none of them got a half-century, the top and middle-order batters contributed well to seal the deal. However, Shivam Dube later on took the onus and finished off the chase with six
wickets and eight balls to spare.
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“I think everyone in our squad are natural stroke players, I think even Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) is playing really positively. Everyone knows their roles and which bowlers to take on. Role clarity really helps. Two-three things to work on, everyone batted well but I think if someone from the top 3 batted till the 15th over it would’ve been even easier,” Ruturaj Gaikwad concluded.
