CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad on Sunday revealed that he deliberately pushed himself down the batting order to create a better balance in the team.
In his place, impact player Rahul Tripathi opened the innings alongside Rachin Ravindra but was unable to make a significant impact.
Gaikwad, batting at number three, and Ravindra struck sublime fifties to guide CSK to a four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.
"That is the requirement of the team (talking about the move to bat at three), and that gives the team more balance. I am really happy to change my position," Gaikwad said at the post-match presentation.
The CSK skipper praised his team's spinners, particularly debutant Noor Ahmad, who took four wickets.
"The spinners were right on point, and right after the auction, one thing we were really excited about was all three spinners bowling in tandem at Chepauk. Khaleel (pacer) is experienced, and Noor is an X-factor—that is why we wanted him in the team. Good to have Ashwin as well," he said.
On MS Dhoni, he added, "He is fitter this year and is still looking young."
Mumbai Indians' stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav predicted a bright future for IPL debutant Vignesh Puthur, who made the game interesting with three crucial wickets.
"We were 15-20 runs short, but the fight the boys showed was commendable. MI is known for that—giving youngsters opportunities. The scouts do this for 10 months, and he (Vignesh) is a product of that," he said.
"I kept his one over in the pocket if the game went deep, but it was a no-brainer to give him the 18th over. He has a bright future. There wasn't any dew, but it was sticky. The way Ruturaj batted in the second innings took the game away from us," Suryakumar added.
