"The way he used Mustafizur was absolutely terrific"- Sunil Gavaskar hails CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad after win over RCB in IPL 2024

Former Indian opening batter Sunil Gavaskar was highly impressed with Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during their IPL 2024 opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) On Friday, March 22.

Gaikwad kickstarted his stint as Chennai's captain on a winning note as RCB were beaten by six wickets. Gavaskar shed light on how well Gaikwad rotated his bowlers, especially left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman.

Speaking on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad for the way he used Mustafizur and for showing faith in Tushar Deshpande despite the latter being expensive.

"The way he used Mustafizur was absolutely terrific. He kept swapping Deepak Chahar, keeping faith in Tushar Deshpande for that final over. It was an opportunity to give it to some other bowler, but he trusted in Deshpande and Deshpande responded with a brilliant final over."

Mustafizur was the pick of the bowlers for CSK as he finished with sensational figures of 4/29 and deservingly won the Player of the Match award. His spell ensured Bengaluru could only post 173/6 in their 20 overs, a total that was chased by CSK with six wickets in hand.

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Sunil Gavaskar on MS Dhoni's support for Ruturaj Gaikwad

Sunil Gavaskar also believes the presence of the great MS Dhoni helped Ruturaj Gaikwad ease into his new role. The former CSK skipper being around Gaikwad in case the latter needs advice is a massive boost, according to Gavaskar.

On this, the former cricketer said:

"He has of course MS Dhoni around him, to guide him, tell him, give him encouragement. Sometimes, that little nod from somebody as experienced and as accomplished as MSD, makes a big difference."

Gaikwad said at the toss that he knew he would be the new CSK skipper about a week ago. However, the way he captained must give the Super Kings immense confidence with the future in mind.