DUBAI: Chennai Super Kings batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, who guided his team to an eight-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bangalore, said that he has been wanting to bat with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni since the camp kicked off in Chennai.
CSK comfortably chased down the target of 146 with eight wickets in hand and 8 balls to spare. Ruturaj Gaikwad played an unbeaten knock of 65 runs to take the side over the line. He shared an unbeaten 37-run stand with Dhoni while chasing.
Ruturaj said he always dreamt of batting along with Dhoni but didn't get many opportunities during last year's IPL.
"I am feeling good but personal milestone doesn't matter much until and unless you win for your team. I was part of the squad last year and this year also I didn't get many chances this year also, so this means a lot," Gaikwad told bowler Deepak Chahar in a video posted on iplt20.com.
"I was dreaming from the day you know when the camp started in Chennai and I had a feeling I might get a game and was hoping to play with Mahi bhai and obviously make a partnership. It helps me a lot, coming it from Mahi Bhai that keeps focusing on the next games," he added.
Chahar bowled brilliantly and picked the important wicket of AB de Villiers. The right-handed bowler gave away 31 runs in 4 overs.
"I was confident bowling at death as I bowl 3 overs in the powerplay where only two players are allowed. Even last year, I bowled in the death overs, so I was pretty confident bowling in the crucial overs," said Chahar.
With this win, CSK has risen to the seventh spot in the points table with eight points from 12 matches while RCB is in the third spot with 14 points.
CSK will next lock horns against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, October 29 at the Dubai International Stadium.