"We waited for him to...": Ruturaj Gaikwad breaks silence on Devon Conway's 'retire out' call

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 22nd match of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) on Tuesday, April 8.

Team Chennai Super Kings faced a defeat in the match against Team Punjab Kings by 18 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.

The catches we have been dropping, the same batsman is scoring 15,20, 30 runs - Ruturaj Gaikwad

Bowling first in the match, CSK had a poor outing as they ended up leaking 219 runs. They managed to stop most of the PBKS batters, but were demolished by Priyansh Arya (103) and Shashank Singh (52*).

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Chasing the target, Devon Conway hit a good fifty but was retired out later in the innings. Shivam Dube also chipped in with good runs while MS Dhoni played a cameo. However, their efforts were not enough and CSK were restricted to 201/5.

Speaking after the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad was absolutely furious at the poor fielding efforts of his team and said:

"I think the last four games, the only point of difference (fielding being the difference). It has been critical. The catches we have been dropping, the same batsman is scoring 15,20, 30 runs."

Ruturaj Gaikwad also showered rich praise on Priyansh Arya but blamed the poor fielding show for their loss. He said:

"Sometimes you have to appreciate. Priyansh played well. High risk batting and it came off well. We were getting wickets at regular intervals but they kept the momentum going. 10-15 runs lesser would have helped us. But it comes down to dropped catches."

Also Read: Watch: Yuzvendra Chahal makes RJ Mahvash go crazy with second attempt catch to dismiss MS Dhoni

Devon is more of a timer of a ball - Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad further said that they got what they wanted from the opening duo of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway as they provided the team with a good start. He said:

"It was spot on in the batting perspective. Two of our best batters (Rachin and Conway) who play pace well went at the top of the order. They had a good powerplay. Lot of positives in the batting department."

When asked about the decision to retire out Devon Conway, he said that the opening batter is more of a timer of the ball and they needed someone like Jadeja who had hitting ability. He said:

"We were two three hits away today, Devon is more of a timer of a ball. Very useful at the top of the order. Jaddu, his role is completely different, You know the batsmen is struggling (On Conway being retired out). We waited for him to time it and then changed when we thought it was necessary."

"Just have some fun. I spoke ahead of the game that we have to enjoy the fielding. If you are nervous, you will drop a catch. If you look to be a standout fielder, save those two three, get that run-out, it helps the team. Batting and bowling you can have bad days," he signed off by saying.

How did CSK perform in the previous IPL match against PBKS?

In the previous match against the Punjab Kings in the IPL, Chennai Super Kings delivered a good performance in Dharamsala to seal a 28-run victory.

After being sent in to bat, CSK failed to post big runs on the board as the pitch was not easy to bat on. They had good powerplay, but just after that, lost quick wickets and were reduced to 75/4.

However, Ravindra Jadeja's brilliant 43 off 26 balls held the innings together, and a crucial contribution from others pushed CSK to a competitive total of 167/9.

With the ball, CSK were absolutely excellent and they stopped PBKS innings at 139/9 in their 20 overs. Tushar Deshpande struck early, removing Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the same over, and despite a counter-attack from Prabhsimran and Shashank Singh, CSK bowlers never let the game drift away. Mitchell Santner dismissed Shashank Singh before Ravindra Jadeja came and wreaked havoc with his sensational three-wicket haul.

Also Read: "Everyone needs to come together...": Ruturaj Gaikwad’s sincere request to MS Dhoni after loss vs DC