Dubai: Following their rare defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi October 2, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to bounce back when they meet Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2021 match here later Monday.
The Super Kings — 18 points from 12 matches with a net run rate of +0.829 — will look to strengthen their position at the top of the table. Delhi, with 18 points from 12 matches, are currently placed second with a net run rate of +0.551.
The Super Kings were powered by a stellar century from Ruturaj Gaikwad (101 not out off 60) in their match against Rajasthan Royals October 2.
“Rutu’s was an outstanding knock. When you lose the game, it can get brushed under the carpet but it was a brilliant knock. He batted very well to get us up to 190,” Dhoni had said in the post-match presentation.
Dhoni said the key to success for batsmen was to assess conditions.
“The batsmen need to assess quickly what a good score is. In T20s, you tend to go hard and then realise it’s not a 160-180 wicket. They’ve done it well, assessed really well and didn’t let the pressure get to the middle order,” he said.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar mentioned that Ruturaj showed “excellent temperament” during his knock against the Royals.
“Gaikwad’s innings was an amazing one for the heady blend of technique, power and elegance. More importantly, the youngster showed excellent temperament in pacing the innings without losing momentum and rhythm,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for a leading Indian newspaper.
Coach Stephen Fleming lauded Ruturaj’s performance and termed it “high class”.
“It was a magnificent innings. It is not often that you have a centurion in your side and you come away with a loss. We will be a bit flat around that but the team will celebrate an individual performance that was of high class,” Fleming said in a post-match press conference.
“It’s another continuation of the young man’s journey. Our expectations have always been very high. Others are just starting to realise why we have such high regard for him. His performance today was magnificent. We are really proud of him and are really pleased with his progress. The way he is playing is outstanding.”
Both teams — Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals — have qualified for the playoffs.
