Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad provided insights into the batting order decision, explaining why Ravindra Jadeja was sent ahead of all-rounder Shivam Dube against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday. Gaikwad clarified that the strategy was to introduce Dube after the powerplay, but due to the loss of two wickets within the powerplay, Jadeja had to step in earlier.
“Jaddu is batting at number 4 since we lost the second wicket within the powerplay. Our thinking is clear that after the powerplay if there is a wicket, Shivam will come out to bat. We can’t force batters to get out after,” said Gaikwad at the post-match presentation.
Jadeja, who entered the crease at number 4, managed to score 16 runs off 19 balls before being dismissed by Mohsin Khan. However, the number 5 batter, Dube, slammed 66 runs off just 27 balls.
Reflecting on Chennai Super Kings' target of 211 runs, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who crafted an impressive 108 runs off 60 balls, expressed his thoughts that he believed their target fell short of what was neededand credited the LSG batters for their performance.
“To be honest, I thought our target wasn’t enough, it was just about par because of the dew we’ve seen during our practice sessions. But credit to the way LSG batted,” he said.
“Tough pill to swallow, but good game of cricket. LSG played really well in the back end. We had the game in control till 13-14 overs, but Stoinis played a great innings,” he added.
The right-handed batter also remarked that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might have had better control over the game if the dew factor hadn't come into play.
"Dew played a part, there was a huge amount of dew and it took our spinners out of the game. We could have otherwise controlled the game better and taken it deeper. But these are parts of the game, can’t control it," he concluded.
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