IPL 2021: “We will continue to back him” – Stephen Fleming says Ruturaj Gaikwad will be given more chances


IPL 2021: “We will continue to back him” – Stephen Fleming says Ruturaj Gaikwad will be given more chances

Stephen Fleming and Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) notched up their second consecutive win yesterday as they defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a margin of 45 runs. The win was fashioned firstly by an explosive performance with the bat that saw a plethora of batsmen making useful cameos. Then, with the ball, the CSK spinners were fantastic as they spun a web around the RR batsmen in the middle-overs to seal victory.

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Amidst the victory, there is however, a point of concern for CSK which is the form of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. The opening batsmen lit up the final few matches of the IPL by scoring three consecutive fifties last season, but this season, he has looked like a pale shadow of his 2020 self. He has failed to middle deliveries in each of the first three matches before getting out cheaply.

Stephen Fleming backs Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad

Stephen Fleming spoke at a post-match press conference yesterday about Ruturaj Gaikwad’s form and said, “Yes, Robin Uthappa is waiting. But Ruturaj Gaikwad earned a bit of time with the way he played last season. You know our philosophy. We give players a good amount of chances in what they are trying to do. We will continue to back him. Then see and make a decision soon. At the moment, we are backing a good young player.”

Fleming then spoke of Moeen Ali‘s Man of the Match performance and said, “Moeen Ali is adding an all-round aspect to our game. We lacked it a bit last year but his contributions have just been what we were looking for. We are absolutely wrapped with the way he has started. He has been really impressive and with the way he has played at number three, has been instrumental in us getting big scores.”

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CSK take on Kolkata Knight Riders tomorrow in Mumbai.

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