NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has expressed admiration for Chennai Super Kings' new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, praising his strategic acumen in maneuvering the team's bowlers during the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Gaikwad, entrusted with the leadership role just before the IPL, began his captaincy stint on a high note under the guidance of veteran MS Dhoni, steering CSK to a convincing six-wicket victory over RCB on Friday.
Gavaskar highlighted Gaikwad's astute bowling changes as a standout feature of his captaincy debut.
"What was impressive was his bowling changes. The way he kept on changing Mustafizur; the way he used Mustafizur was absolutely terrific," remarked the former India skipper in an interview with Star Sports.
He further commended Gaikwad's decision-making, particularly in persisting with bowlers like Tushar Deshpande, who delivered under pressure in the final over despite earlier setbacks.
Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman's stellar performance, claiming his best IPL figures of 4/29, played a pivotal role in dismantling RCB's top-order, restricting them to 173/6.
Gavaskar also acknowledged the influence of MS Dhoni, stating, "And we see over here, he has, of course, MS Dhoni around him, to guide him, tell him and give him encouragement. Sometimes, that little nod from somebody as experienced and as accomplished as MSD, makes a big difference."
1/10:Chennai Super Kings down Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024 opener
IANS
2/10:Mustafizur's brilliance
Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman returned figures of 4-29 to set up a six-wicket win for defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.PTI
3/10:Shivam Dube & Ravindra Jadeja's stand
Hosts CSK restricted Bengaluru to 173/6 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Shivam Dube, who hit 34, and Ravindra Jadeja, who made 25, put on an unbeaten stand of 66 to steer the team home.PTI
4/10:IPL opening ceremony
The 17th edition of the lucrative league began with a glitzy ceremony, with performances by Bollywood stars including India's Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.AFP
5/10:Dhoni's captaincy handover
<p>Old warhorse MS Dhoni had shocked his fans on the eve of the opener when he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who said he got to know of the decision last week.</p>PTI
6/10:Man of the Match: Mustafizur
Mustafizur had Du Plessis caught out for 35 and RCB slipped from 41-0 to 42-3 in the space of seven balls when Glenn Maxwell was out for a first-ball duck off Deepak Chahar. Mustafizur was named man of the match.AP
7/10:Virat Kohli's return
Virat Kohli returned to competitive cricket after two months following a paternity break. He made 21 off 20 balls including a six off spinner Maheesh Theekshana before his departure in another inspired spell by Mustafizur.AP
8/10:Chennai's batting display
CSK's batsmen including IPL debutant Ravindra, who hit a 15-ball 37, got starts but lost regular wickets. Dube, who came in as impact substitute in place of Mustafizur, and Jadeja ensured the team sailed through.ANI
9/10:Green's bowling impact
Green struck with two key wickets including Rahane (27) and Daryl Mitchell (22) with his fast-medium bowling but Jadeja kept the chase going.PTI
10/10:Rawat & Karthik's partnership
For RCB, Anuj Rawat, a wicketkeeper-batsman who hit 48, and Dinesh Karthik, 38 not out, steadied the ship and then took the attack to the opposition in their partnership of 95 in 50 balls.PTIReflecting on RCB's tactics, Gavaskar criticized their over-reliance on short-pitched deliveries, emphasizing the need for versatility in their approach.
"Yes, try the short ball by all means, but when it wasn't working... it looked like that's all they were looking to do," he remarked.
He further emphasized the importance of accuracy in executing bouncers, expressing disappointment over RCB's one-dimensional strategy and urging them to adopt a more varied approach in their bowling tactics.
(With inputs from PTI)
