"He showed glimpses of genius" - Aakash Chopra lauds Ruturaj Gaikwad's knock in CSK's IPL 2023 loss to GT

Aakash Chopra has lauded Ruturaj Gaikwad for playing a sublime knock in the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) loss to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the first game of IPL 2023.

Gaikwad smashed 92 runs off just 50 balls as CSK set a 179-run target for the Titans after being asked to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31. Hardik Pandya and Co. then chased down the target with five wickets and four deliveries to spare to start their title defense on a winning note.

Reflecting on CSK's innings in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra showered praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying:

"Chennai's prince showed in this knock that the guy has the might. He showed glimpses of genius. The pitch was looking slightly spongy. Devon Conway got out at the start but Ruturaj batted differently."

The former Indian opener pointed out that Gaikwad was almost like a lone warrior with the bat for CSK, elaborating:

"All sixes with cricketing shots - straight down the ground, flicks and pulls. He was absolutely sublime. If you score 92 runs in a total of less than 180, which means you have scored more than 50% of the runs on a pitch where everyone was struggling slightly and going at a run-a-ball, wow Ruturaj."

Gaikwad struck four fours and nine sixes during his innings. He had scored more than 60% of CSK's runs when he was dismissed off the first ball of the 18th over, with the team's total reading 151 at the time.

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"There used to be a starting problem" - Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring runs right from the outset in IPL 2023

Ruturaj Gaikwad strung together a 51-run fourth-wicket partnership with Ambati Rayudu. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra praised Ruturaj Gaikwad for setting the stage on fire right from the first game of the IPL this time around, explaining:

"There used to be a starting problem. In the first three matches in the last three years, nine matches in all, he hadn't scored a total of 100 runs, but here he missed a hundred by just eight runs. He was absolutely outstanding."

The cricketer-turned-commentator also appreciated MS Dhoni for providing the finishing touches to CSK's innings, stating:

"It seemed this team might not reach close to 180 but Dhoni came and shone. That's the way, Mahi way. He hit very well - a six and then a four off Joshua Little. 14 runs off seven balls - he is now just seven runs short of 5000 runs in this tournament."

However, Chopra was slightly surprised by Moeen Ali's approach, highlighting that the all-rounder was overly aggressive against Rashid Khan. While pointing out that Ben Stokes was also found wanting against the GT leg-spinner, he added that Shivam Dube's issues against short-pitched bowling came to the fore.