"He is not a frontrunner but is part of the T20 World Cup list" - Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad heading into CSK's IPL 2024 clash vs LSG

Aakash Chopra reckons Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad should be in the race for a berth in India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

CSK will face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in an IPL 2024 league game in Lucknow on Friday, April 19. A win for the five-time champions, who are currently placed third on the points table, will help them climb into second position.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Gaikwad as the first Chennai Super Kings player in focus in Friday's game.

"My No. 1 player in focus is Ruturaj Gaikwad. The first reason for that is the last match's form. Secondly, this is a big ground. On a big ground, you expect more from a batter who times the ball and puts it into the gaps, chips the ball into the empty big pockets over cover and mid-wicket," he reasoned (8:45).

"So Ruturaj Gaikwad will be my first player to watch out for without a shadow of doubt. He is a gun player and is batting well. He is not a frontrunner but is part of the T20 World Cup list, and he should be kept as well - he scored a century against Australia. Everyone is spoken about, so why not him?" the former India opener added.

Gaikwad is CSK's second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. He has amassed 224 runs at a strike rate of 130.23 in six innings.

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"This team is slightly overdependent on Shivam Dube" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's 2nd player to watch out for

Shivam Dube has smashed 242 runs at a strike rate of 163.51 in six innings in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra noted that CSK rely a little on Shivam Dube to give them the required impetus in the middle overs.

"I am going with Shivam Dube as the second player. This team is slightly overdependent on Shivam Dube. Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi will be the spinners in front of him. I feel he will get the better of both of them. Fast bowling is being brought against him a lot but he is destroying fast bowling decently," he elaborated (9:30).

The renowned commentator chose Matheesha Pathirana as the third CSK player to watch out for in Friday's game.

"The third once again is like a broken record - Matheesha Pathirana. Bowling first or second - it does not matter, because he can do the job Jasprit Bumrah does. He can do the job Lasith Malinga used to do. His bouncer will become more dangerous on this ground. He has a good slower one and no one is bowling yorkers better than him at the moment in this league," Chopra explained.

Pathirana is the visitors' second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024. The Sri Lankan seamer has picked up eight wickets in just three games at a reasonable economy rate of 7.33. Mustafizur Rahman (10) is the only bowler to have taken more wickets for the franchise this season.