Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer has urged Chennai Super Kings captain and opener Ruturaj Gaikwad to focus on giving his team quick starts instead of focusing on scoring big runs.
Gaikwad’s Chennai Super Kings finally got their first win of the campaign as they beat the Delhi Capitals by 23 runs in Chennai on April 11. They were set up well in the first innings as they made 212/2 in their 20 overs. Gaikwad’s fellow opener Sanju Samson notched up his first century in yellow after his much-anticipated trade from the Rajasthan Royals. Gaikwad was able to manage just a paltry 15 runs, which came off 18 balls.
Jaffer stated that with the evolution of the modern T20 game, the openers’ focus should be on providing starts. He backed Ruturaj, stating that despite him not scoring at a high strike-rate, he has the ability to fast.
“He’s somebody who wants to score big. You know, being an opener, I don’t think you need to look at 80 or 100 from the outset. I think you need to look at giving a terrific start, the kind of start the openers want. He’s not somebody who is going at a 200-plus strike rate. If he’s asked to push the scoring rate, I think he needs to take a lot more risk. He’s got the game. He’s got hundreds in the IPL. But he just, I feel, holds himself [back],” Jaffer said, speaking on ESPNcricinfo.
Jaffer also used Virat Kohli as a reference point to show that batters who prefer to accumulate can reinvent themselves to score faster as the format adapts. He believes that Ruturaj can do the same, but he has to shift his focus towards making an impact.
“I feel he plays with that tunnel vision of scoring big. We’ve seen [Virat] Kohli do that: change his game. He’s a different Kohli to what we saw at the start of his career. I am sure Ruturaj can do it [but] he needs to put the impact [first], not think about bulk of runs,” the 48-year-old added.
In their next game, Chennai Super Kings will host Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 14.
