“He has been a bit slow and that will not work” - Aakash Chopra urges CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad to lift his strike rate

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra reckons that although Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad is back among the runs in IPL 2022, he will have to improve his strike rate.

Gaikwad scored 53 in Chennai’s previous match against the Gujarat Titans (GT). However, his knock came off 49 balls and included only four fours and a six. Despite losing only five wickets in their innings, CSK posted an under par 133 for five on the board and ended up going down in the contest by seven wickets.

The MS Dhoni-led outfit will conclude their IPL 2022 campaign with a match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, 20 May. Previewing the match on his YouTube channel, Chopra urged Gaikwad to bat with greater authority. He stated:

“Chennai need to bat a bit more freely. Ruturaj Gaikwad in particular will have to bat more quickly. He has been a bit slow and that will not work. I have no idea who will bat at No. 3. I feel Moeen Ali should bat at that position. If Chennai want to keep resting Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube and N Jagadeesan can come in at No. 4 and No. 5. MS Dhoni should bat at No. 6. I want to watch Dhoni bat. He’s rewound the clock and has been batting really well.”

Apart from Gaikwad’s half-century, Jagadeesan contributed an unbeaten 39 off 33 against Gujarat while Moeen looked good during his 21 off 17. Dube and Dhoni, however, perished cheaply as Chennai could not give the final push to their innings.

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“Matheesha Pathirana is an exciting prospect” - Aakash Chopra on CSK pacer

Speaking about Chennai’s bowling, Chopra said that he was impressed by Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana’s effort on IPL debut in the franchise’s previous match against Gujarat. He stated:

“CSK’s bowling is looking decent but I am not sure about the line-up they will go in with. Matheesha Pathirana is an exciting prospect. I am enjoying watching him bowl. He has a slingy action and bowls the slower one as well. He is good. He can go for a few runs and might concede 45 in his four overs. But the chances of him picking wickets are bright.”

Pathirana, 19, got a wicket with his first ball in the IPL as he trapped Shubman Gill lbw. He also dismissed GT skipper Hardik Pandya to end with figures of two for 24.