Chennai Super Kings gamers congratulate Gujarat Titans on the latter victory in the Indian Premier League 2023 opening match in Ahmedabad on March 31, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni felt their center overs batting allow them to down of their IPL opener towards Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on March 31, 2023
With Ruturaj Gaikwad going robust, CSK seemed heading in the right direction for a 200 plus complete earlier than Titans stemmed the circulation of runs in the center overs. CSK finally managed 178 for seven which Titans chased down with 4 balls to spare and 5 wickets in hand.
“We all knew there will be dew. We could have done a bit more with the batsman ship. Ruturaj (Gaikwad) was brilliant, he times the ball well and he’s a pleasure to watch. The way he picks his options, it is pleasing to watch. I think it’s important for the youngsters to step in,” mentioned Dhoni referring to Gaikwad’s 92 off 50 balls.
Dhoni, nonetheless, praised IPL debutant Rajvardhan Hangargekar who took three wickets.
“I think Raj (Hangargekar) has pace and he will get better with time. Think the bowlers will get better, a no-ball is something that’s in your control, so you need to work on that. I felt two left armers will be a better option so I went ahead with them. Shivam (Dube) was an option, but I felt comfortable with the bowlers overall,” mentioned Dhoni.
Titans skipper Hardik Pandya was happy with the workforce’s efficiency.
“We did put ourselves in a difficult situation but Rahul and Rashid did very well. We were happy at the mid-innings because at one point they looked like getting 200, but we got those couple of wickets to pull things back.” On the introduction of impression participant in the IPL, he mentioned: “Having this Impact rule makes my job difficult. I have too many options, and because of this someone will bowl less. This game I realised bowling hard lengths was the way to go, that’s why Alzarri bowled late.
“Having Rashid is an actual asset, he’ll get you wickets and get you some runs late down the order as nicely.”
