Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started their journey under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy on a memorable note as they defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets with eight balls to spare in the first match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on Friday, March 22.
The legendary MS Dhoni passed the leadership baton to Gaikwad on the eve of the match. The 27-year-old, who captained a second-string Indian side to gold at the Asian Games last year, didn't show any signs of nerves on the field and took the help of the iconic wicketkeeper-batter whenever necessary. Speaking after the match, Gaikwad said that he didn't feel any pressure of captaining the five-time champions.
"I have always enjoyed it. Haven't felt the additional pressure, right from the state side. Not even a single time I felt pressured by anything. Obviously had Mahi bhai with me," Ruturaj said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Faf du Plessis got his team off to a flier after winning the toss and opting to bat first. However, Bengaluru slipped from 41/0 to 42/3 in quick time. Virat Kohli struggled to find his flow and departed for 21 off 20 balls as RCB were struggling at 77/4 in the 12th over. To make matters worse, Cameron Green was also dismissed in the same over as the visitors had lost half their side for 78 runs.
Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat forged a strong comeback as they added 95 runs off 50 balls to take Bengaluru to a score of 173/6 in their 20 overs. However, the former reckoned that they were a few runs short in a mid-innings interview with the broadcaster. Mustafizur was the star of the show with the ball as he bagged a four-for.
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In reply, Rachin Ravindra went all guns blazing inside the powerplay and amassed 37 runs off just 15 balls before getting out. Gaikwad hit three boundaries but was dismissed by Yash Dayal for a run-a-ball 15. Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell made small but important contributions before an unbeaten 66-run partnership between Impact Player Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja took the defending champions to victory.
Gaikwad asserted that his team was in control for most parts of the match. However, he felt that if the top-order batters had batted longer, the chase would have been easier.
"Total control right from the start. 2-3 overs here and there but once the spinners came on, we were in control. 10-15 runs lesser would have been great but they came back well. Lots of positives, but two-three things to work on. The batting, everyone chipped in. If we had a few batters from the top-order batting through, the chase would have been easier," he stated.
Overall, it was an impressive debut for Gaikwad as the CSK skipper. His bowling changes were on point and he looked proactive in the middle. His next test is on Tuesday, March 26 as the Super Kings take on Gujarat Titans at home in a repeat of last year's final.
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