Even though the Chennai Super Kings lost their opening match of the IPL 2023, to the Gujarat Titans, two young players – Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajvardhan Hangargekar– impressed everyone, including skipper MS Dhoni.
In the tournament opener, in Ahmedabad, Hardik Pandya’s side chased down the target of 179 with 5 wickets in hand and 4 balls to spare as the match went down to the last over, making it a thriller for the lakh-plus capacity crowd assembled at the Narendra Modi stadium and the millions watching across the globe.
For CSK, 36-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad and 20-year-old Rajvardhan Hangargekar were the star performers on the night whereas others mostly underperformed and disappointed largely.
After a mediocre season last year, Gaikwad was up and running in the first match, scoring a scintillating knock of 92 runs in 50 balls with the help of 9 sixes and 4 fours.
Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who CSK had bought for INR 1.5 crore in the IPL 2022 auction but the Under-19 World Cup winner was consigned to drinks duty for the entire season, got to make his debut straightaway in IPL 2023 in the absence of the injured Mukesh Choudhary.
The 20-year-old returned with figures of 3/36 in his 4 overs on debut and clocked speeds close to 145 KPH. The speedster took the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharshan, and Vijay Shankar, helping CSK significantly to keep the game alive and stretch it till the last over in CSK’s defense of 179 on a good batting pitch. His hit-the-deck bowling was mostly impressive, although he bowled one no-ball as well which MS Dhoni mentioned.
At the post-match presentation, MS Dhoni heaped praise on Hangargekar’s high pace, and added that the youngster will only get better from hereon as he gains more experience.
“I think it’s important for the youngsters to step in. I think Raj (Hangargekar) has pace and he will get better with time. Think the bowlers will get better, a no-ball is something that’s in your control, so you need to work on that,” MS Dhoni said.
The CSK skipper also lavished rich praises on Gaikwad, whose 92 was as sublime as any knock he’s played in his career so far.
“Ruturaj (Gaikwad) was brilliant, he times the ball well and he’s a pleasure to watch. The way he picks his options, it is pleasing to watch,” Dhoni added.
After losing to GT in Ahmedabad, CSK will be playing their first home game this season when they host Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai on Monday.
