Chennai Super Kings skipper Ravindra Jadeja lamented the loss of early wickets in the powerplay against Punjab Kings as the defending champions slumped to their third straight defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Sunday.
“I think we lost too many wickets in the powerplay and didn’t find momentum from ball one. We need to find a way to come back stronger,” Jadeja said after the match. However, Jadeja defended Ruturaj Gaikwad’s poor form with the bat saying the opener will come good soon.
“We need to give him (Gaikwad) confidence as we all know he's a very good player. I'm sure he will come good,” added Jadeja, who was handed the captaincy baton by MS Dhoni just two days before the tournament started. Gaikwad has now scored 0, 1 and 1 in the first three games.
Chennai Super Kings lost to Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants in the first two games. On Sunday, CSK looked in total disarray while chasing Punjab Kings’ 180/8. Debutant Vaibhav Arora (2/21) was brilliant with the ball for PBKS as CSK were reeling at 36/5 at one stage.
Shivam Dube (57) and Dhoni (23) gave CSK some hope with a 62-run stand for the sixth wicket but once the partnership was broken by Liam Livingstone, it was a matter of time for the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings to seal their second win in IPL 2022. CSK were all out for 126 in 18 overs.
Jadeja also praised Dube, who has now scored back-to-back fifties. “Dube has been batting well and I think keeping him in a good frame of mind is the key. We will try our best to work hard and come back stronger,” he said.
An ecstatic Mayank Agarwal was all praise for his teammates after a clinical show. “I said nothing to Livingstone. Everyone holds their breath when he's batting,” Agarwal said. Livingstone first scored a 32-ball 60 before chipping with wickets of Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo. He also lavished praise on Arora.
“Vaibhav was with us a couple of years back and we saw the talent. KKR picked him up, but we wanted him because he's something different.” Agarwal attributed Anil Kumble's eye for talent in finding Jitesh Sharma.
“With Jitesh, Anil bhai had seen him at Mumbai Indians. He has great intent and he's a fantastic keeper. The standout thing about him is his attitude. We will definitely look to play hard, positive cricket. We have to be emotionally intelligent if it doesn't come off,” he said.
With PTI Inputs
