On his first day as CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad said, “Not even a single time I felt pressured by anything, had Mahi bhai with me.”

In the opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on Friday, March 22, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made a memorable start to their journey under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy by defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets with eight balls remaining.

On the eve of the contest, the legendary MS Dhoni gave Gaikwad the leadership hat trick. The 27-year-old displayed no indications of nervousness on the field and enlisted the assistance of the legendary wicketkeeper-batter when needed. He guided a second-string Indian team to gold at the Asian Games the previous year. Gaikwad stated following the game that he didn’t feel under any pressure to lead the five-time champions.

“I’ve liked it ever since. I haven’t noticed any increased pressure from the state side. There was never even a moment when I felt under pressure. At the post-match presentation ceremony, Ruturaj Gaikwad stated, “I obviously had Mahi bhai with me.”

Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Faf du Plessis gave his side a big start. On the other hand, Bengaluru quickly dropped from 41/0 to 42/3. When RCB was struggling at 77/4 in the 12th over, Virat Kohli was unable to find his rhythm and left the game for 21 off 20 balls. Even worse, the visitors had lost half their side for 78 runs when Cameron Green was removed in the same over.

Bengaluru reached a score of 173/6 in their 20 overs thanks to a tremendous comeback by Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat, who combined to score 95 runs off 50 balls. In an interview with the broadcaster mid-innings, the former, though, estimated that they were short by a few runs. With a four-for, Mustafizur was the highlight of the show with the ball.

There are many advantages, however there are two or three areas that need improvement.  Ruturaj Gaikwad

In response, Rachin Ravindra lit up the powerplay, scoring 37 runs off of just 15 balls before being out. Gaikwad scored three boundaries but was out for fifteen runs per ball by Yash Dayal. Before Impact Player Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja’s undefeated 66-run partnership lifted the reigning champions to win, Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell made little but significant contributions.

For the majority of the game, according toRuturaj Gaikwad, his team was in control. The pursuit, he said, would have been simpler if the top-order batters had batted longer.

“Total command from the beginning. A couple of overs here and there, but we were in complete control once the spinners arrived. Although they recovered effectively, ten to fifteen runs less would have been ideal. Many good things, but there are still one or two issues to address. Everyone pitched in with the hitting. We may have made the chase simpler if we had a few top-order batsmen going through,” he said.

All things considered, Gaikwad’s debut as the CSK captain was excellent. He appeared proactive in the middle and made accurate bowling adjustments. His next challenge is a rematch of last year’s final at home between the Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, March 26.