Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra talked about Ruturaj Gaikwad’s chances for the T20 World Cup. Gaikwad returned to form after some a slow start to his IPL 2024 campaign, in which he took over as the captain of the Super Kings. The CSK skipper had been struggling to convert his good starts, but finally managed to get going in the last 2 matches.
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Chopra admitted that amid a traffic jam in the Indian team for the top-order spot, Gaikwad might not be the front-runner. However, the former opener added that the CSK captain should be in the mix, considering his previous exploits for the senior national team. Gaikwad has played 19 matches, scoring 500 runs at a strike rate of 140. Gaikwad was the first Indian batter to score a T20I century against Australia as the Pune-batter notched up his maiden international hundred back in November 2023.
“So Ruturaj Gaikwad will be my first player to watch out for without a shadow of a doubt. He is a gun player and is batting well. He is not a frontrunner but is part of the T20 World Cup list, and he should be kept as well – he scored a century against Australia. Everyone is spoken about, so why not him?” Chopra added.
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Chopra, while speaking on his YouTube Channel, picked Gaikwad as the key player for CSK as they face LSG at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow on April 19, Friday. Chopra backed him because of his recent form and his performance in the last match against MI.
“My No.1 player in focus is Ruturaj Gaikwad. The first reason for that is the last match’s form. Secondly, this is a big ground. On a big ground, you expect more from a batter who times the ball and puts it into the gaps, chips the ball into the empty big pockets over cover and mid-wicket,” Chopra said.
Ruturaj will be carrying great confidence as his team takes on LSG. He played a brilliant knock of 69 runs from 40 balls against MI at the Wankhede Stadium and his innings was crucial in CSK winning the match by 20 runs. During the match against KKR, Gaikwad played a 58-ball 67-run knock and guided the team to a 7-wicket win.