Ruturaj Gaikwad was one of the star performers against RCB by scoring an unbeaten 65 off 51 balls after being sent to open with Faf du Plessis. After showing some impatience in the earlier matches, Ruturaj Gaikwad looked calm and composed during his 51-ball innings as CSK successfully chased RCB’s target of 146.
Chennai Super Kings managed to get back into winning ways as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. It was a clinical performance from the CSK side as they outperformed RCB in both the batting and bowling department.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Was Played Well And Backed Himself To Play His Favourite Shots- MS Dhoni
Chasing a modest target of 146 runs, CSK took just 18.4 overs to reach the target with Ruturaj Gaikwad and skipper MS Dhoni remaining unbeaten after Faf Du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu’s short but significant cameos.
CSK captain MS Dhoni was also happy with his performance as he praised the 23-year-old batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad for the useful contribution which helped CSK’s chase.
“Rutu (Gaikwad) played really well, backed himself to play the shots that he would play than worry about big shots. If we had seen this (on Ruturaj performing well) in the second or the third game we could have got a glimpse.
“But this year has been tough on Rutu as well. He batted in Chennai, then Covid, the extra quarantine took precious time away from him. Even in the last game you saw, it happens in cricket, you face the best bowlers and you nick one. You have to help yourself, and when you are out there you have to fight it out with your mind. I felt he did really well after the first single he took and the first hit; he kept getting more and more comfortable with himself.”
“He backed himself to play the shots he is known for. Looking to time the ball, if you look for four, you can get six. It does hurt when you don’t do well so you try to amplify certain emotions. You have to enjoy the game no matter where you are on the table. If you are not enjoying the cricket, it can become cruel and painful. So I am glad about how the youngsters have responded,” he added.
One of the star performers against RCB was young batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored an unbeaten 65 after opening the innings. Sam Curran again shone with the ball returning with figures of 3/19 in 3 overs while Mitchell Santner playing his 1st match had figures of 1/23 and Deepak Chahar had figures of 2/31.
MS Dhoni Acknowledged That They Weren’t Really Amongst The Top 4 After Defeat To Rajasthan.
After a defeat to Rajasthan Royals, MS Dhoni wasn’t happy with the defeat. He said that the youngsters in his squad did not show the spark needed to break into the playing XI at the expense of the veterans as the experienced cricketers then could feel insecure.
He clarified upon the comment not to see the spark in youngsters after it was criticized by experts saying the veterans could feel insecure buy changing them for youngsters.
“You don’t want to chop and change. Insecurity is something you don’t want to prevail in the dressing room. Fair enough, this season we weren’t really there,” Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony after suffering the seven-wicket loss.
“Also the youngsters, we didn’t see the spark to push the guys. But what this result has done is give those youngsters a chance in the rest of the tournament.”
“Maybe going forward we bring them in and they play without pressure.”
CSK will play next Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, October 29 at the Dubai International Stadium and will look to carry the momentum. However, they are mathematically ruled out of the race for play-offs.