Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had an abysmal run in the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise finished at 7th place in the points table. The three-time champions had only a few positives this year. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s couple of half-centuries was one of them. CSK had the start that they were yearning for, As they defeated the reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI), However, things went bad to worse, As CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Dhoni has led the men in yellow since the league’s inception. However, fans started questioning the strategy adopted by the team management. The franchise stuck to the same team after continuous failures. In the last three fixtures, Gaikwad’s performance captivated and gave a ray of hope for CSK fans. The team avoided the last place in the points table as they bounced back in last few matches.
After struggling in the initial matches, the team management stuck with their experienced players. Eventually, there was no change in the fortune of CSK. Gaikwad was provided with few more chances to showcase his potential and ‘boy he did’.
When was Dhoni was questioned of not giving enough opportunities to the young players the former Indian cricketer said ‘he did not see the spark in the CSK youngsters this year, which is why he gave the opportunities to the veterans’.
The comment of Dhoni was widely criticized by the fans on social media. However, While speaking to The Telegraph India, Ruturaj Gaikwad defend his captain and said people took it the other way.
“I didn’t read much into what MS had said and I never felt he intended that way. He must have thought of something and said, but people took it the other way. What he said didn’t matter to me or didn’t even get to my head.”
The 23-year-old batsman shared that Dhoni has always helped him in the nets, in fact after matches Dhoni was also seen to talking to young player of opposite teams.
