Not Virat Kohli's dismissal! Ruturaj Gaikwad reveals 'big turning point' after 1st win as CSK captain

Ruturaj Gaikwad started his captaincy career in IPL with a win as Chennai Super Kings thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in the first game of IPL 2024.

Asked to bowl first, CSK were under a bit of pressure early on as Faf du Plessis came out all guns blazing. However, Mustafizur Rahman turned the course of the game by dismissing du Plessis and Rajat Patidar in the fifth over. In the final over of the powerplay, Deepak Chahar dismissed Glenn Maxwell for a duck to reduce RCB to 42 for 3.

Virat Kohli and Cameron Green steadied the ship with a 35-run stand before Mustafizur Rahman dismissed both of them in the 12th over to leave RCB reeling at 78 for 5. The 150-run mark was looking like a distant dream at that stage but Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik shared a fine stand of 96 runs to power their team to a competitive total of 173/6.

In reply, CSK crossed the finishing line in the 19th over. After captain Ruturaj Gaikwad departed for 15, the likes of Rachin Ravindra (37), Ajinkya Rahane (27), and Daryl Mitchell (22) got the starts but failed to convert into a big score. CSK were reeling at 110 for 4 in the 13th over. However, Shivam Dube (34*) and Ravindra Jadeja (25*) shared an unbeaten stand of 66 runs to help their team start the campaign with a win.

Ruturaj Gaikwad on the win:

Speaking after the win, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his delight over his team being in total control of the proceedings throughout the game. He also said that dismissing du Plessis and Maxwell in quick succession turned out to be the turning point in the game.

“Total control I would say, right from the start (apart) from 2-3 overs. Would’ve loved 10-15 runs less but I think they played really well towards the end. I feel that was a big turning point to get Maxwell and Faf out. We got three quick wickets and it helped us control the next overs, that was the real turning point,” said Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Speaking further, the CSK opener said that he likes captaincy while dismissing notions that it could add pressure on him. He insisted that he did not feel any pressure while leading the side before stating that each player in the team was well aware of his role.

“I’ve always enjoyed it (captaincy), never felt it as an additional pressure. I had experience on how to handle it, never felt any pressure, obviously had Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai as well.

“I think everyone in our squad are natural stroke players, I think even Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) is playing really positively. Everyone knows their roles and which bowlers to take on. Role clarity really helps. Two-three things to work on, everyone batted well but I think if someone from the top 3 batted till the 15th over it would’ve been even easier,” said Ruturaj Gaikwad.