The Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey expressed his thoughts regarding their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and his knock the other day against the Gujarat Titans. He played a relatively slower knock for the modern T20 game and he received criticism from some of the fans and pundits. The viewers claimed that the innings felt more like an ODI innings and nothing like the brand of cricket that the IPL has. Some people also came in support of Ruturaj Gaikwad as they thought he anchored the innings amidst all the chaos. CSK would have been bowled out for a much lower total if not for Ruturaj Gaikwad. There were mixed opinions regarding his knock but Michael Hussey has come in support of their skipper.  

“He's a pretty relaxed guy, level headed and calm sort of guy but he's human as well you know and it's not easy at times especially when maybe results aren't going your way and maybe even your own personal results aren't quite going your own way as well,” said Michael Hussey about Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Chennai Super Kings haven't been at their best in this season of the IPL and that has taken a hit on their morale. They would have expected much better from the star studded side and without doubt, all the pressure will be shouldered by Ruturaj Gaikwad.

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“I thought his knock the other day was absolutely superb. It looked tough out there, with wickets falling around him and I think he did a great job in helping the team get to that 159, a score which you know after the 8,9,10 overs, it wasn't looking anything like that,” added Michael Hussey.

Against the Gujarat Titans, the struggles of the Chennai Super Kings batting unit was visibly exposed. They lost 5 wickets for just 96 runs and the game had already reached the 16th over. The netizens were claiming that it would be the most boring innings of the IPL, with the kind of scoring rate they had. But, Ruturaj Gaikwad did a fabulous job to stand his ground till the end and help CSK reach a decent total after the 20 overs. Gaikwad scored 74 from 60 balls, including 6 fours and 4 sixes, striking at 123.33.  

“So hopefully that innings gives him some more confidence to push on and play some really important innings moving forward. I know he wasn't 100% happy with the innings, he would have loved to score a lot quicker and get the total a bit higher as well. He showed a lot of character and guts in tricky conditions. So we were really happy with the way he went about it there,” stated Michael Hussey.

Moving into the game against the Gujarat Titans, Ruturaj Gaikwad was going through a lean run of form. He wasn't simply in his batting rhythm that he had showcased in the domestic circuit. The fans themselves were disappointed with the performance of their skipper and considered him as a liability. Considering the fact that he got 10 boundaries from the 60 deliveries he faced, it outlines the number of dot balls that he consumed. He might have felt like he could have taken on the bowlers much more earlier or to at least rotate the strike. Some more runs on the scoreboard and it would have been a different game, but nonetheless the skipper could derive some confidence with runs under his belt.

Today, Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the charge against the Mumbai Indians and the skipper will be hoping to do the double over their arch-rivals. He will be confident that he can play a handy knock in this encounter and help his side get across the line.