'Sometimes that little nod makes a big difference' - Sunil Gavaskar on MS Dhoni's presence around Ruturaj Gaikwad

Speaking exclusively on STAR SPORTS show CRICKET LIVE, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar spoke about Chennai Super Kings’ new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s opening victory as skipper following the win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, “Absolutely! Your debut as a captain becomes very important. You want to begin your captaincy career well with a win and that’s exactly what happened. What was impressive was his bowling changes. Because when you saw the way he kept on changing Mustafizur; the way he used Mustafizur was absolutely terrific.

"He kept swapping Deepak Chahar, keeping faith in Tushar Deshpande for that final over. I think seeing that Tushar Deshpande had been taken for 25, there was an opportunity to use another bowler, but he still stuck to Tushar Deshpande, and Deshpande responded with a brilliant final over. So, yes, I think the captaincy was most impressive. And we see over here, he has, of course, MS Dhoni around him, to guide him, tell him and give him the encouragement. Sometimes, that little nod from somebody as experienced and as accomplished as MSD, makes a big difference.”

Gavaskar explains on what Royal Challengers Bengaluru could have done differently against Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of the IPL 2024, “Yes, try the short ball by all means, but when it wasn’t working… it looked like that’s all they were looking to do. You had somebody like a Dagar, who had bowled 2 overs for 6 six runs. I know the way the left-hand spinner can be picked for 6, but you got to take a chance. All that they did, Joseph, Green, Siraj, everybody go in short. What was happening was that if you don’t get the bouncer right, you are going to give it a wide, which means you’re giving an extra run, you are going to bowl an extra delivery. So, your bouncer has to be very accurate, and it wasn’t. That one-dimensional tactic was really disappointing.”

Kevin Pietersen weighs in on what Royal Challengers Bengaluru could have done differently against Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of the IPL 2024, “I would have chased if I was Faf du Plessis. That wicket was an absolute belter. It’s not the normal wicket that you see. Statistics can tell you one thing, and I’ve never been one for statistics. You got to judge situations as you see situations. This was not a wicket for spinners, the seam bowlers had a go here. I think RCB should have chased.”

Australia legend Steve Smith shares his thoughts after Chennai Super Kings maintained their strong record at the Chepauk following their six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the IPL at Chepauk, “Bangalore don’t match up at that ground. CSK played to their strengths. They squeezed throughout the middle. Mustafizur was really good, taking wickets. It was a pretty unusual scorecard, the chase. 37 was the highest score, everyone got a start and spent a bit of time in the middle. I think it’s probably an ideal start for Chennai.”