IPL 2024: Meet CSK’s new skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad — elegant, composed and consistent power-hitter
On the eve of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad is named the new skipper of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy.
In a post on social media platform X, the IPL made the announcement on Thursday, a day before CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangaluru.
Pune-born Gaikwad, nicknamed ‘Rocket Raja’, is known for his elegant strokeplay and consistent performances.
The team had gambled on Gaikwad as a player for the future in the IPL 2020 season using him as an anchoring opener who could attack when necessary. Making his IPL debut, CSK gave Gaikwad six matches, and he went on to score 204 runs with an impressive average of 51.00.
ALSO READ: IPL 2024: MS Dhoni steps down from CSK captaincy, Ruturaj Gaikwad is new skipper
“MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period. The team looks forward to the upcoming season,” CSK said in a statement.
The 27-year-old Gaikwad has played six ODIs and 19 T20s for India. He made his CSK debut in 2020 and has represented the team in 52 games.
Last year, at an impressive strike rate of 147.50, the stylish opener from Maharashtra made a total of 590 runs in 16 games.
ALSO READ: ‘Thala will forever..’: CSK fans react as Ruturaj replaces Dhoni as skipper
His breakout year was 2021 when he amassed 635 runs in 16 games.
He is currently CSK’s seventh-highest run-getter.
Gaikwad had also led the Indian team to the gold medal in the Asian Games last year.
In 2022 also, the Chennai Super Kings had attempted a leadership transition but it did not work out with Ravindra Jadeja handing back the captaincy duties to Dhoni after eight games.
MS Dhoni has skippered CSK since the IPL began in 2008, except for the two seasons when the franchise was banned.
Recently, Gaikwad recovered from a finger injury. He has played only one competitive match in 2024 – a Ranji Trophy match against Services, where he scored 96 in Maharashtra’s first innings. Despite his impressive trackrecord, filling Dhoni’s shoes would be hardly an easy task for the ‘Rocket Raja’.
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Published: 21 Mar 2024, 07:46 PM IST
