Sunil Gavaskar expressed his confidence in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting lineup for the upcoming IPL 2024 season, highlighting the potential of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway as a dynamic opening pair. He suggested that this duo could emerge as the best opening combination in the tournament.
In the previous edition of the IPL in 2023, Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged as the leading run-scorers for the Chennai Super Kings. Conway, the left-handed batsman from New Zealand, amassed 672 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 139.70. Meanwhile, Gaikwad, the right-handed Indian batsman, scored 590 runs in the same number of matches at a strike rate of 147.50. Their impressive performances were instrumental in the team’s success.
During a recent discussion on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar shared his insights regarding the batting prowess of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2024 season.
That’s been their advantage over the years. All these years, they have always had batters at the top who can take the attack to the opposition from the first ball itself and then they have got the finishers as well,” he responded.
“I feel their left and right-handed opening combination of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway is probably the best opening pair in the IPL because they always gave good starts last year. So the pressure was slightly eased on the players who used to come at No. 4 and No. 5,” the former India captain added.
In IPL 2023, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway forged the top five partnerships for CSK. They notably constructed partnerships of 141 and 110 runs against the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants, respectively. Additionally, they compiled 80-plus run stands on three occasions against the SunRisers Hyderabad, the Gujarat Titans, and the Punjab Kings.
“You need to have a lineup where someone can come at No. 7 and hit big sixes“- Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar highlighted that the Chennai Super Kings’ robust batting depth serves them well, particularly in run chases.
You always think about scoring runs in T20 cricket but chasing is also important. For chasing, you need to have a lineup where someone can come at No. 7 as well and hit big sixes,” he said.
Sunil Gavaskar emphasized that the defending champions boast an abundance of power hitters within their lineup.
“You have got an MS Dhoni and now they have got somebody like a Shivam Dube batting at No. 3 or No. 4. He is a long hitter, and then Jadeja, look at the way he finished the finals. Deepak Chahar can also play the big shots. So clearly their batting is the least of their worries,” Gavaskar stated.
In IPL 2023, MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube exhibited remarkable strike rates of 182.45 and 158.33, respectively. Ravindra Jadeja maintained a healthy strike rate of 142.85, while Ajinkya Rahane, known for his circumspect approach, surprised with a strike rate of 172.48.