Chennai, April 15 (IANS) Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed relief and growing confidence after Chennai Super Kings continued their winning momentum with a victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday and addressed the concerns around his poor form, stating that he’s confident of bouncing back with ‘a big knock’ but is also happy that ‘other guys are covering up’ for him.

Despite a quiet run with the bat so far, Gaikwad remained optimistic about his form, backing himself to deliver when it matters most.

“Just make sure that you do whatever the team needs, whatever the situation needs. And I feel even mentally, I’m feeling really well, feeling positive, and just a big, a big knock is just around the corner, but as long as the other guys are just covering up for me, definitely I’ll do it when it’s needed,” he said during the post-match presentation.

Reflecting on the win, the CSK skipper felt the total posted was competitive, especially given how the pitch evolved as the match progressed.

“Definitely feeling good, to be honest. I think we defended a good score again. I felt it was a par score, given that, you know, the wicket drastically changed after the first, I would say, seven or eight overs. It started spinning a bit, it started stopping a bit. So, you know, we were first looking at 220, 210, but then, we thought anything around 190, 180 would be a good score, and I think after that, we just had to get a good power play in bowling. After that, it was just about maintaining that run rate,” he said.

Gaikwad credited the bowling unit for executing plans effectively, highlighting how players are beginning to settle into defined roles.

“Slowly, it’s starting to come together, I feel. Everyone kind of knows what their role is, which overs, what to bowl, and what lengths to bowl at. So I think they are adjusting and adapting really well according to what the team needs. As I said, slowly, slowly, we are getting better and better. And that’s a good sign for us,” he said.

He also shed light on tactical decisions, particularly the use of spinners and match-ups, which played a key role in controlling the game, saying, “We thought that, you know, since we wanted to kind of use Noor if we were short in padding, but we thought that, we had it covered and Akhil coming in the second innings, more of a power play bowler. But, Sunil Narine opening the batting, we thought, it was still gripping. So two right-handers in between, he can still get us good overs. So I feel he bowled really well, went under the radar, but I feel he bowled really well.”

While satisfied with the overall effort, Gaikwad admitted there is room for improvement in the field after a few missed chances.

“We dropped everything that came, just took one or two, but still, I thought, I felt it was a bit okay. Today, so a lot of sweat is coming into the hands. Not an excuse, but definitely you would like to improve. As long as there’s energy behind every ball, there’s intent, and as I said, there’s attitude behind it, we are fine, even if we drop a few,” he said of the dropped catches.

The win also brought a sense of relief to the captain, who acknowledged that the pressure of results had been weighing on his mind in recent matches, stating, “Good to be on the winning side after a long time. I felt it was getting into the head even when I was batting, but after the last game, felt a bit relaxed and it is, and I feel I’m feeling really good.”

–IANS

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