Following the game’s conclusion, CSK skipper made a tongue-in-cheek comment.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) slipped to their second consecutive defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, registering a six-run loss against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati. The story was almost similar to the previous game, as the batters, Ruturaj Gaikwad, didn’t step up in the chase again.
Following the game’s conclusion, the CSK skipper made a tongue-in-cheek comment about his side’s opening woes. Rahul Tripathi has failed to do his job as an opener, which has forced Gaikwad to come as an opener.
When asked about batting at No.3, he exclaimed that he can take care of the middle overs by stepping below. However, it doesn’t matter since he has been coming too early in the innings.
“Over the years, Ajinkya batted at 3, and Rayudu was taking care of middle-overs. We thought it would be better if I came a bit late to take care of the middle overs, and Tripathi can bat aggressively at the top. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I am getting to bat early in the three games.”
One of the key reasons behind Ruturaj’s demotion was his superior spin batting expertise, which could be more than handy, especially in home games. This also allows Tripathi to exploit the field restrictions and play his fancy cricket to provide rapid starts from the top.
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Unfortunately, the plan hasn’t worked, as Tripathi has been enduring an abysmal run with the willow. The opening stands for CSK in IPL 2025 read: 11 in 1.4 overs, 8 in 1.2 overs, and 0 in 0.4 overs in three matches, respectively.
Collectively, CSK openers have added only 19 runs at a mediocre average of 6.33 in three innings and scored at a 5.18 run rate, the worst among all 10 teams’ opening pairs. Tripathi has looked at sea against movement and hard lengths. The opposition has been smart enough to target his weak areas to keep him quiet.
So, Gaikwad’s frustration is understandable. He has sacrificed his preferred batting spot for him, but the results haven’t been desirable. Given Tripathi’s limitations against the moving ball and hard lengths, CSK might be tempted to slot Ruturaj Gaikwad back as an opener. They may let him weave big knocks since he is the only batter who has inspired confidence in the first three matches.
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