CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad took a subtle dig at the opening pair of Rachin Ravindra and Rahul Tripathi after their loss to RR in the IPL 2025 tournament in Guwahati on March 30. CSK stumbled to a six-run loss after they failed to chase down 183 against the Royals.
CSK failed to gain a good start in the run chase for the third time in a row. Rachin Ravindra lost his wicket in the first over to Jofra Archer. Previously, in the first two matches, Rahul Tripathi was dismissed cheaply.
Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has opened for the franchise for the last four seasons, has elected to bat third in the IPL 2025. This decision has not paid off, as the team has been unable to get to a good start, leaving the middle order with a lot to do. Rahul Tripathi struck 23 off 19 balls, and Archer dismissed Ravindra for a duck.
Skipper Gaikwad tried his best, playing a 63-run knock, but CSK fell six runs short in the end.
After the game, Ruturaj Gaikwad was asked about his decision to bat third, and the skipper made a subtle dig at Tripathi and Rachin Ravindra for failing to get off to a solid start.
"Over the years, Ajinkya batted at 3, and Rayudu was taking care of middle-overs. We thought it would be better if I came a bit late to take care of the middle overs, and Tripathi can bat aggressively at the top. Anyway, it doesn't matter because I am getting to bat early in the three games," Gaikwad said in a post-match interview.
"It was decided during the auction time, and I don't have any problem with that. I can take risks when needed and rotate strike. Unfortunately, we have not been getting the good starts, but once we get that, things will be different," he added.
Rajasthan Royals scored 181/9 in 20 overs after being selected to bat first, thanks to a stunning 81-run effort by Nitish Rana off 36 deliveries. His innings featured 10 fours and five sixes.
"Nitish batted well, and we were not proactive knowing he was going behind square, and we should have made him play in front of the wicket. 8-10 runs through misfields as well. We are trying to improve there. 180 was chasable. Still a good wicket if you hit the pockets. I was really happy at the innings break. They were looking good for 210, but 180 was chasable," he added.
(PTI inputs)
