CSK's new skipper silences doubters with big knock

'Half-century against KKR will help Ruturaj Gaikwad's decision-making as captain in coming games'

Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's 58-ball 67 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL game in Chennai will not only make him a confident batter but also an assured captain, feels World Cup winning former England skipper Eoin Morgan.

Gaikwad, who has taken over leadership duties from the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, had scores of 15, 1, 46 and 26 in the first four games before striking big against KKR on Monday, which was his first half-century of the current season.

"This innings (67 vs KKR) will build a huge amount of belief and confidence for him (Gaikwad) in his game. Playing an innings like this, early in the tournament will give him a lot of reassurance on his decision-making and pass on a message to the team," Morgan, a JioCinema TATA IPL expert, was quoted as saying in a press release.

Morgan, who had led KKR to the final of the 2021 IPL, was happy to see the CSK skipper in sublime touch.

"He is a classy player, we have seen that for a long time now and it is great to see him in such touch. He had a great game, right from the toss to captaincy decisions, getting the spinners on after the powerplay, he was exceptional today. "

Among other experts, former India pacer RP Singh lauded Jadeja for bowling with exceptional control.

"The best part about Jadeja's bowling is he bowls at a good length and the pace at which he bowled today was great. He left no doubt as to who the best performer of the match was, took a couple of catches, got three wickets, and gave an all-round performance."

His former India teammate Robin Uthappa was happy to see Daryl Mitchell slowly fitting into the shoes of Ambati Rayudu, who was stellar during his time at the CSK.

"This is what you want from a player coming in at number three and play the role that Ambati Rayudu did for CSK, playing aggressively, maintaining the momentum of the game while building important partnerships for the team and he played that role well today," Uthappa said.

"He (Mitchell) was very pro-active in his innings today. Before this innings, he took a little bit more time but today he adjusted the attack, took the pressure off Gaikwad, especially in that over where he played the reverse-sweep at the end," Uthappa concluded.