'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQUQAAEEAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMFBBIHgRchIwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABhEBAAEEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAwQREhMxQUL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AJ4XwKWlsyJ43zy6fTT1GxkgdqwLWPCOGCQX1/WKQOhsiIpY3yyFZL3e1fiNNJ4OKS0W9AHiTX//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Gujarat Titans (GT) continued their unbeaten streak against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), beating them by five wickets in the opening match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31.
Rashid Khan, who picked up two wickets and played an important cameo in the chase, was adjudged the Player of the Match. Shubman Gill played a vital role for the Titans as well, but not many CSK players stepped up in the tournament opener.
The Men in Yellow will know that they have a long way to go in the tournament. There are several cracks they need to fill in before they can be considered genuine playoff contenders.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by CSK in their IPL 2023 match against GT.
#3 Mistake - Team selection
Even though they were batting first, CSK bizarrely decided to go in with an extremely thin-looking bowling attack.
IPL debutant Rajvardhan Hangargekar, the unreliable Tushar Deshpande, and the returning Deepak Chahar were CSK's only three genuine fast-bowling options as Dwaine Pretorius was left on the bench. The spin attack was a touch one-dimensional too, with left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner in the mix.
More importantly, CSK's impact player list didn't feature Prashant Solanki and Simarjeet Singh, who turned out for the franchise last year. Why the Super Kings decided to have three batters as their substitutes while batting first is something only they can answer.
Dhoni and Co. definitely overestimated the bowling resources at their disposal. They'll need an additional bowler or two in the next game.
#2 Masterstroke - Ruturaj Gaikwad's intent-rich charge and unleashing Rajvardhan Hangargekar
CSK's youngsters were their most promising performers in the IPL 2023 opener against GT. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajvardhan Hangargekar starred with bat and ball, respectively, to give the Men in Yellow some hope of taking two points away from the fixture.
Gaikwad showed intent right from the start, striking two sumptuous fours off Hardik Pandya's bowling in the second over. He didn't look back from there as he hammered a whopping nine sixes en route to a stellar 92. Even though the batters kept struggling and falling around him, the young opener showed great game awareness and attacking instinct.
Hangargekar, meanwhile, spent the entirety of last season on the bench. But he wasn't to be deterred this time around, picking up three wickets on his IPL debut in an aggressive bowling display. The 20-year-old hit hard lengths and constantly posed questions to the GT batters.
CSK have always spoken about giving Hangargekar time to make the step up to the IPL level, and the early signs indicate that he might be ready this year.
#1 Mistake - Sending Shivam Dube in the 13th over
When Ambati Rayudu was dismissed in the 13th over, CSK had Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, and Shivam Dube, among others, in the hut. Although GT had only one over of spin remaining at the time, they decided to send in Dube.
The move understandably backfired as the Gujarat bowlers peppered Dube with several short deliveries at his body. It has always been the tall left-hander's Achilles heel, and he found it impossible to get those balls away to the boundary.
Dube ate up 18 balls for just 19 runs, with six of those coming in the 19th over on the ball before his dismissal. Given the bowling resources GT were going to employ, the Men in Yellow should've sent either Jadeja or Dhoni.
