Chennai Super Kings (CSK) registered a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 49 of IPL 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Saturday (May 6).
Opting to bowl first, CSK restricted MI to a below-par 139/8. Matheesha Pathirana starred with the ball for the hosts, returning with the stunning figures of 3 for 15 in his four-over spell. Deepak Chahar (2-18) and Tushar Deshpande (2-26) also claimed two scalps each.
In reply, the Super Kings overhauled the target in 17.4 overs, with key contributions from Devon Conway (44), Ruturaj Gaikwad (30) and Shivam Dube (26*).
After the game, CSK opener Gaikwad said his team doesn’t have any problem playing on any surface at Chepauk because of the home advantage.
Asked if this was the kind of pitch CSK would like to play, Gaikwad said, “It does suit our strength but the pitch is, I would say, slightly out of our control with the weather being slightly gloomy, rainy. Obviously it’s tough for the curator to make what we want.”
“Even the two games we lost here, they were almost close games, not much of a difference, just one or two hits away. We would like to play on any surface given because of the home advantage,” he added in the post-match press conference.
Gaikwad was pleased with CSK’s win over MI as he felt it was due to a “complete team performance.”
“Everyone contributed. The bowlers from the beginning were on the mark and the fielders too did a good job,” he stated.
Gaikwad heaped praise on Sri Lankan pacer Pathirana, who is known for his sling-shit bowling action which is similar to the great Lasith Malinga.
“Thankfully he is our team. In the nets, I’ve faced only 10-12 balls and I was like ‘I don’t want to face him’ because obviously he is tough to pick and tough to judge the length of the ball.
“First thing is you’re finding where it is coming from and second thing is judging the length and judging the line, so you’re always slightly late when facing him and thankfully he is in our team,” he remarked.
Asked about the work that goes behind the scenes in CSK and the development of players, he said, “Behind the scenes, work starts right from the pre-season camp. Not many international cricketers join because of their international duties, so the domestic players are available to join and the work starts from there.”
“Everyone gets an opportunity to express themselves, to discuss with various coaches and the skipper. It does help a lot as a player when there are few people around who feed a lot of confidence and positivity in you.”
(With PTI Inputs)
