With MS Dhoni no longer leading the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, all attention is on Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has taken over as the team captain. CSK began the season with two straight victories against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans but now they have got two back-to-back defeats, first against Delhi Capitals in Vizag and second against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
It’s too early to judge Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership skills, but according to Matthew Hayden, the former CSK player, and Australian cricket legend, Gaikwad might be feeling stressed. Gaikwad has a big responsibility as he’s now leading CSK after MS Dhoni, who guided the team to five IPL titles.
CSK suffered a defeat against SRH on Friday night, and Hayden believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad made a few decisions that may have impacted the game. These include not batting Moeen Ali higher up the order and bringing in Maheesh Theekshana to counter the threat posed by Travis Head.
“There were a couple of decisions which weren’t quite sharp,” Hayden said on Star Sports. “When you think of Moeen Ali as an all-rounder, he ended up contributing nicely with the ball, but he should have been batted up the order. He should have been given a license. They were lagging inside that power play. They were 1 for 49 in the power play. So to me, they needed an injection of some hope and some courage, and Moeen Ali could have provided that.”
“With the ball, I think they probably could have bowled Theekshana straight away to Travis Head. It’s a great match-up. Don’t wait until the fourth over. He went for plenty of that second over. So for me, Theekshana straight up front against Travis Head could have been a better move,” he added.
Hayden believes Gaikwad needs to make decisions more swiftly.
“So some sharp action was needed, and I think it can never be easy with a cloud of MS Dhoni around you, and I’m not saying that’s because of MS Dhoni. But it is what it is. He is Thala. So Ruturaj Gaikwad might be having that sort of pressure inside him, and maybe his reaction and decision-making process needs to be just a little quicker and a little sharper,” he said.
