Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth lavished praise on Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad after the franchise secured an eight-wicket win against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday.

Gaikwad scored a match-winning knock of 67 runs off 48 balls with the help of five fours and two sixes in the run chase of 160. The CSK skipper added a match-winning alliance of 98 runs off 75 balls with Kartik Sharma, who scored 54 runs off 40 balls. Gaikwad was awarded Player of the Match, and Srikkanth said it was a special knock.

“The old Bumrah looked to be back when he removed Samson in his first over. But this is where Ruturaj Gaikwad’s knock was special. He played a brilliant knock. It was the old vintage Gaikwad, who plays even Bumrah well. He played authentic cricketing shots in front of the wicket. There were no shots behind the wicket, and his game awareness was fantastic. He played only three dot balls in 67 runs,” said Srikkanth on his YouTube Channel.

“The target being easy worked to his advantage. He knew if he just stayed at the crease, the game was over. He was also helped massively by Urvil Patel’s crucial cameo.”

On the other hand, Srikkanth also praised Kartik Sharma who was promoted to number four. The rookie batter scored his maiden IPL fifty, scoring 54 runs off 40 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes.

He added, “Kartik Sharma has the six-hitting ability against spin, which is why it was an intelligent move. But again, Dube is also excellent against spin, and he might have smoked Raghu Sharma for a couple of sixes. It might have been an ideal opportunity for Dube to regain his confidence. However, I was impressed with Kartik Sharma’s six-hitting ability.”

Chennai Super Kings will next take on Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Tuesday.