Ruturaj Gaikwad looked in majestic touch as the Chennai Super Kings opener slammed the first half-century of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 during the opening encounter against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Gaikwad was comfortable against all GT bowlers and the right-hander easily reached the milestone in just 23 deliveries. It was a magnificent exhibition of aggressive batting as his innings comprised of three fours and six massive sixes. As Gaikwad reached his fifty with a six over fine leg, the CSK dressing room erupted in celebration as teammate Deepak Chahar gave him a special “Whistle Podu” tribute by whistling for his feat along with other team members.
RUTURAJ GAIKWAD REMEMBER THE NAMEEEE #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/cflY1ZRmtw
— YUVRAJ(DHONI FREAK) (@YuvrajSiingh_) March 31, 2023
Earlier, GT skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field in the highly anticipated encounter.
Hardik Pandya GT skipper said it is always good to play in Ahmedabad.
“We’ll bowl first. It’s always good to play here. New start, new season, quite exciting. Almost everyone in the country has got motivation from him (Dhoni). Been a fan and admirer of him. Want boys to enjoy it. Result will take care of itself. It’s different – I’ve left it in the coach. Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) works all night on what needs to be done. I don’t know (combination for today).”
MS Dhoni CSK skipper said it appears to be a good wicket.
“We were also looking to bowl. Looks like a good wicket and I don’t think it will change. Don’t know if there will be dew because it rained last night. You want to play in front of people. This stadium is twice the capacity of other stadiums. Fantastic atmosphere. The preparation was good. We assembled quite early. It’s a luxury to have (impact player). It becomes slightly easy to take the decision because you can use it at any time. The influence of allrounder has become slightly less because of the rule,” he said.
Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Gujarat Titans:Wriddhiman Saha (w), Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph.
(With PTI inputs)
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