With their eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Delhi on Tuesday night, Chennai Super Kings scored their fifth win of this IPL season and now sit at the sixth spot in the points table with ten points. The Ruturaj Gaekwad-led team had started this year’s IPL with three losses in their first three matches before winning the next two matches. With four matches left for the team in the league stage, Chennai would hope to win a minimum of three out of those four to have a chance to make it to the play-offs. When asked about everything seeming to be coming together for his team, CSK captain Gaikwad shared how the team had the belief right from the start and needed those couple of wins to get the momentum.
“I think even initially after the second and third game, the talk was about you know even Fleming and myself were always positive. We always thought we were closer than what we thought or what we were last year. I think we pretty much covered all the bases. Sanju (Samson) coming in and then we had a great middle order as well. Our bowling was going well as well. We just needed that couple of wins to get that momentum. I think after the third game, we got those couple of wins and everyone just started to gel together,” Gaikwad said in the post match presentation.
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In their last four matches, CSK have won three, with the win against Delhi Capitals being the latest. While Sanju Samson hit an unbeaten 87, having already scored two hundreds earlier in the tournament, CSK bowlers Jamie Overton and Akeal Hosein have led the bowling unit with 11 and seven wickets respectively.
Praising Samson’s role in the team, Gaikwad also highlighted the role of Overton and Hosein in the team apart from the supporting role played by Anshul Kamboj. “On the batting side, I would say more than grateful to have Sanju in the side. After the tournament he had in the T20 World Cup and even now. Obviously he is the backbone now. But bowling is something which wins you tournaments. Obviously to have Akeal (Hosein) and Jamie (Overton) do the job where everyone is going for more than 10s or 12s, they are coming silently and doing their job. That gives you a lot of confidence. And then Anshul Kamboj is there as well. Who is obviously a smart bowler and knows what are his strengths. Yes he had his day off today but I feel he is someone who is already upset about it and eager to come back,” Gaikwad added.
When asked about what the opening duo talk among themselves during the partnerships, Gaikwad shared how they don’t really plan the talks but shared their inputs about the wicket and conditions. “Nothing, actually. We don’t really plan, We just kind of let each other know what the wicket is, what is happening exactly and how we can access and how we can move forward. That’s the only talk. After that it’s more about how the over is going and how the match is progressing. So the talk is very less and more often than that you rely on yourself to do the job. So definitely he is doing the job for me, so I am really happy,” Gaikwad said.
