09 April,2024 02:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni (Pic: PTI)
After Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad who remained unbeaten on 67 runs said that even his first IPL half-century also came with MS Dhoni.
Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Ravindra Jadeja's show with the ball and Gaikwad and Shivam Dube's contributions with the bat helped CSK win the IPL 2024 fixture against KKR by seven wickets.
KKR on the other hand, faced their first defeat in the IPL 2024 after securing three consecutive wins. Chennai skipper Gaikwad remained unbeaten at 67 as he slammed the winning runs for the team.
Gaikwad said even at the time of his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) half-century Dhoni was there with him to "finish the match."
"Little nostalgic for me. During my first IPL fifty, a similar situation, Mahi bhai was with me and we finished the match," Gaikwad said in a post-match presentation.
Gaikwad also mentioned that following Ajinkya Rahane's absence due to injury, Gaikwad took the responsibility to lead the innings and did not want to put pressure on younger players.
Also Read: IPL 2024 | "Just want to keep the team culture going": Gaikwad after win vs KKR
"With Jinx injured, onus was on me to bat through, didn't want to put the youngsters in a difficult situation. Was a 150-160 wicket. Jaddu always comes in after the power play with momentum in the spin department," he added.
Gaikwad also stated that everyone on the squad has a good attitude, and he receives assistance from MS Dhoni and head coach Stephen Fleming when needed.
"With this team, I don't really need to tell things to anyone. Everyone's in a great head space, Mahi bhai and Fleming are still around to take those calls," the CSK captain said.
Gaikwad, who scored runs at a strike rate of 115.52, said he did not consider it a sluggish start. In a lighthearted tone, he urged leaving such conversations to the professionals.
"I wouldn't say mine is a slow start, in T20s there are times you nick off one or two balls, sometimes you need a bit of luck to get going, maybe something for experts to talk about, with my strike rate (laughs)," he added.
Recapping the IPL 2024 match, after winning the toss, Ruturaj decided to bowl first which proved to be successful as Jadeja's successful spell helped the side restrict KKR to 137 runs in 20 overs. Jadeja and Deshpande registered three wickets each to their names.
While chasing the target, Chennai captain Gaikwad scored an unbeaten 67 runs and Dube smashed 28 runs in just 18 balls to guide CSK to a seven-wicket win over KKR.
(With ANI Inputs)
