Ruturaj Gaikwad is Chennai Super Kings’ captain. Aakash Chopra thinks Gaikwad should try for India’s 2024 T20 World Cup team.
Friday’s Lucknow clash, CSK versus LSG, presents an opportunity for the five-time IPL champions. Securing a win would elevate them to second position from their current third spot on the points table.
In a YouTube video, Chopra named Gaikwad as the first Chennai Super Kings player to focus on in Friday’s encounter.
“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.”
“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?”
Aakash Chopra
Gaikwad is CSK’s second-leading run-scorer in the IPL 2024. In six innings, he has scored 224 runs with a strike rate of 130.23.
Aakash Chopra’s Observation on CSK’s Dependency on Shivam Dube as the 2nd Player to Watch Out For
Aakash Chopra observed that CSK relies a bit on Shivam Dube to provide the necessary momentum 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.”
Aakash Chopra
The famous analyst has named Matheesha Pathirana as the third CSK player to watch out for in Friday’s encounter.
“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.”
Aakash Chopra
Pathirana has the second-highest wickets for the visiting team in IPL 2024. The Sri Lankan bowler took eight wickets in just three matches, showing an okay economy rate of 7.33. Mustafizur Rahman with ten wickets, is the only player who got more wickets for the franchise so far this season.
