Chennai Super Kings’ newly appointed captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said that every player is aware of their respective roles in the team. CSK registered their third win of the season at home as they defeated in-form Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Monday.
The home team came up with a brilliant bowling show, restricting KKR to 137 after Gaikwad won the crucial toss. KKR got off to a decent start as Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Sunil Narine added 56 runs in the Powerplay overs after losing Phil Salt early.
However, Ravindra Jadeja struck thrice in his first eight balls to leave KKR reeling at 64-4. Jadeja returned with impressive figures of 3-18 in his quota of four overs as he accounted for Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, and Sunil Narine.
On the other hand, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his first fifty of the season, scoring an unbeaten 67 off just 58 balls. With Ajinkya Rahane slightly injured, Gaikwad admitted it was his responsibility to take the team through.
Ruturaj Gaikwad said in the post-match presentation, “Little nostalgic for me. Remember my first fifty in IPL, Mahi bhai was with me and we finished the match in the same situation. With Jinks slightly injured, I felt it was my responsibility to stay till the end on a wicket which was slightly tricky. Was a 150-160 wicket – if you rotate a little bit and look for boundaries. Wasn’t a six-hitting pitch. It is what we’ve been following through the years. Jaddu always comes after powerplay.”
Gaikwad added, “With this team, I don’t need to tell things to anyone. Everyone is in great headspace. You have Mahi bhai still there, you have Fleming still there. I wouldn’t say slow start (for him in this tournament). In T20 there are times when you nick off, and you get those one-two balls. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck to get going. And I feel today it was perfect where I could take my time a little bit – something to talk for experts after the game about my strike rate. Good to get the win.”
Chennai would be delighted to return to winning ways after losing their last two matches against DC and SRH. The defending champions will next take on arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.
