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Ruturaj Gaikwad: (Image Source: Twitter)
The last season of the Indian T20 League for the Chennai-based franchise was no less than a nightmare. They were able to win only four out of 14 matches and finished at ninth position in the points table. However, this time, the team would like to show better gameplay. Meanwhile, the upcoming 16th season of the cash-rich league season is also going to be extremely important for the young Chennai opener Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Chennai's captain MS Dhoni has shown a lot of trust in Gaikwad and on many occasions he has lived up to that. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra raised questions about the youngster. Gaikwad had a great season in 2021 but couldn't do anything special in the 2022 season. In light of the same, Aakash said Gaikwad needs to make some important changes in his batting style.
“As we saw in the World Cup as well, he likes to take his time in the middle. He plays better at no.3 as well, and in the Indian T20 League, his only century came when he batted up in the order. So, it's hard to understand what's happening there. Robin (Uthappa) isn't there anymore, so were they searching for his replacement?” Chopra said.
“It is possible that Ruturaj Gaikwad hits the ground up and running. Right now, he starts slowly and picks pace as he builds the innings. But the days of diesel engines are over, we have EVs now. Ruturaj has to become an electric vehicle,” Chopra said.
'It surprised me when they broke the bank for Ben Stokes'-Aakash Chopra
Along with this, Aakash Chopra also raised questions on the role of England's star all-rounder and their Test skipper Ben Stokes. Chennai bought this player by spending a whopping amount of INR 16.25 crores in the mini-auction. However, Aakash believes that this surprised him a lot as he doesn't think the Stokes can perform in Chennai conditions.
"It surprised me when they broke the bank for Ben Stokes because I don't know how he will perform in the conditions in Chennai. He is someone who likes to take a bit of time before playing his shots and also likes to bat in the top order. So will it be Ruturaj who will hit the ground running? It will be interesting to see."