New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s decision to demote himself in the batting order paid rich dividends in their four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
In the tournament opening game for both teams, CSK won the toss and elected to bowl and then chased down a 156-run target with five balls to spare.
Gaikwad came into bat at No.3, allowing impact player Rahul Tripathi to open the innings alongside Rachin Ravindra. While Tripathi was dismissed cheaply, Gaikwad and Ravindra struck fluent half centuries as CSK won quite comfortably in the end.
Speaking after their opening round win, Gaikwad said that he decided to bat at No.3 to provide better balance to their batting order.
“That is the requirement of the team (talking about the move to bat at three) and that gives the team more balance and I am really happy to change my position,” he said.
On debut for CSK, Noor Ahmad took four wickets and seamer Khaleel Ahmed to earn praises from their skipper.
“The spinners were right on point and right after the auction, one thing we were really excited was all those three spinners bowling in tandem at Chepauk. Khaleel (pacer) is experienced and Noor is an X factor and that is why we wanted him in the team and good to have Ashwin as well.”
Dhoni fitter, looks younger
Gaikwad added that former CSK skipper MS Dhoni is in top shape despite being 44 years of age. “He is more fitter this year and he is still looking young,” he said.
Mumbai Indians stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav said he expects IPL debutant Vignesh Puthur to have a bright future after he took three wickets to out CSK under pressure.
“We were 15-20 runs short but the fight the boys showed was commendable. MI is known for that – giving youngsters opportunities, the scouts do this for 10 months and he (Vignesh) is a product of that,” he said.
“I kept his one over in the pocket if the game went deep, but it was a no-brainer to give him the 18th over. He has a bright future. There wasn’t any dew, but it was sticky, the way Ruturaj batted in the second innings took the game away from us,” Suryakumar said.
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a half century as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by four wickets in an IPL 2025 match Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
