Chennai Super Kings registered a huge win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday at The Den in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League to climb to third in the points table with the race for the playoff spots in full cry.
CSK posted a total of 212 runs thanks to a masterful 98-run innings up the order from captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and a well-made half-century from Daryl Mitchell, before bundling out SRH for 134 runs riding on Tushar Deshpande’s four-wicket haul.
Chennai leapfrogged three sides with the crucial win and the side’s batting coach Mike Hussey heaped the skipper with immense praise and expressed his admiration for the young batter.
“Gaikwad is such a wonderful player. He is a brilliant timer of the cricket ball,” the Australian began.
Hussey went on to enumerate the qualities that make Gaikwad the brilliant batsman that he is as he spoke of how brilliantly he times the ball and the 27-year-old’s ability to switch gears seamlessly.
“I’ve been asking him what his secret is in terms of his placement, he always finds the gaps. He is a smart batsman as well, he knows when to attack and when to soak up pressure,” Hussey elaborated.
“He plays spin well, he plays seam well. He can score all around the ground. He’s almost one step ahead of the bowlers a lot of times.”
“He is wonderful to watch. Very thankful that he is in our team,” the southpaw added.
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The 48-year-old also credited Gaikwad for his efficiency in handling the role of the skipper while also maintaining his lofty batting standards.
“It has been challenging for him as well. He has taken over as captain to which you have to take your hat off to him. He is succeeding the greatest of all time in this country,” the Aussie explained.
“He has also managed to keep his batting standards very high as well.”
“As a captain, there are a lot of things going on in his mind. Tactical stuff, preparation ahead of games, and ensuring everybody in the team is in a good place,” Hussey listed.
“He’s got some good help around him with Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni, of course, but to be able to take care of the captaincy aspect in addition to his batting is a real credit to him,” he asserted.
Hussey reiterated the brilliance of Gaikwad’s innings against SRH on the day and added the young opener is demonstrating how good he is to the world.
“He’s showing the world just how good a player he is. It was another masterclass tonight, it really was,” applauded Hussey.
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