Ruturaj Gaikwad began his captaincy career with a dominant win, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in the IPL 2024 opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday (March 22).

Despite facing early pressure during the power play, with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis launching a fierce attack, CSK quickly turned the tables after being put into the field in Chennai.

This was especially evident through Gaikwad's strategic bowling changes, which led to a flurry of wickets and allowed CSK to regain control of the match against the RCB. Notably, Gaikwad replaced the legendary MS Dhoni as CSK's captain on the eve of the IPL 2024 opener in Chennai.

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Well, after CSK’s win, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar said that he was really impressed by Ruturaj's leadership skills and tactical decisions. He also lauded his temperament and game strategy.

Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports: “Your debut as a captain becomes very important. You want to begin your captaincy career well with a win and that’s exactly what happened. What was impressive was his bowling changes. Because when you saw the way he kept changing Mustafizur Rahman; the way he used Mustafizur was absolutely terrific.”

The legendary batter further said, “He kept swapping Deepak Chahar, keeping faith in Tushar Deshpande for that final over. I think seeing that Tushar Deshpande had been taken for 25, there was an opportunity to use another bowler, but he still stuck to Tushar Deshpande, and Deshpande responded with a brilliant final over.”

Gavaskar concluded, “I think the captaincy was most impressive. And we see over here, he has, of course, MS Dhoni around him, to guide him, tell him and give him the encouragement. Sometimes, that little nod from somebody as experienced and as accomplished as MSD, makes a big difference.”

(With Star Sports/IANS Inputs)