Ruturaj Gaikwad, the new captain of Chennai Super Kings, has adapted to his new position like a swan to water and has continued to lead his team in scoring at the start of the innings. The 27-year-old will want to carry on his outstanding exploits as Punjab calls. He has amassed two fifties and a ton in his three prior appearances at Chepauk.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was handed over the captaincy from MS Dhoni before the start of the 2024 season, which came as shock for the fans all over the country as they were excited to see MS Dhoni leading the side for one last time.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is also the captain of his state team Maharashtra, but captaining a side which has MS Dhoni in it is a huge task for any player. The CSK management feels that Ruturaj so far has done a good job leading the side and they believe he is the player to take the franchise to new heights in the future.
Fleming all praises for Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming opined that Ruturaj Gaikwad has managed to continue the good vein of batting form he has demonstrated over the past couple of years and settled well into the hottest seat in franchise cricket. He said :
“His batting has continued from what it was. He has been spectacular the last few years. And as for captaincy, he has taken it up in his stride as he has also led his domestic team.”
Fleming also emphasized that Gaikwad follows the pre-established model that Chennai has perfected to achieve great success. He continued by saying that Gaikwad has seized the chance twice, and it appears that this has paid off already.
“He is very much in the mould of CSK. Very understated, lowkey and incredibly calm,” Fleming added.
“So, there is no particular change there, he has rather doubled down on it and he has been handling it very well, “he has got MS still around, but he is quickly becoming more confident with the role and his batting looks in very good shape,” he added.
Punjab Kings take on Chennai Super Kings
Chennai has always been a difficult opponent for Punjab, and the series has produced some amazing classics, such as “that night at Dharamshala” and a super over.
The bowling coach for PBKS, Charl Langeveldt, discussed the difficulties of playing Chennai away from home, but he also expressed optimism about reproducing the visitors’ performance from the previous game, which they won by 4 wickets at the MAC.
In the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host the visiting Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 1.