Chennai, March 23 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad lauded Noor Ahmad’s spell of 4-18 in the side’s four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians, saying that it’s good to have an x-factor player like the left-arm wrist-spinner in the side for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Noor was CSK’s costliest pick at last year’s mega auction with Rs 10 crore splurged on him by the five-time champions, and he justified that by ripping through MI’s middle-order to pick the best figures for a CSK spinner against MI, as well as recording his career-best IPL spell. Apart from Noor, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed shined by picking 3-29. “Our spinners were right on the mark, we were really excited about them bowling in tandem at Chepauk after the auction.”
“Khaleel has been doing well for the last 2-3 years, he’s experienced. Noor is an X-factor and it’s good to have him in the team. Dhoni is still the same, he’s fitter this year and hitting more sixes in the nets this year,” said Gaikwad after the match ended.
Noor, named Player of the Match, also represented CSK’s sister franchise Texas in last year’s Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA. “Feels great to play around the world but special to play for CSK. Sometimes I thought they weren’t picking me but I was focusing on my bowling. My favourite was Surya’s wicket, Mahi bhai’s stumping was so electric. It’s great to have Mahi bhai behind the stumps,” he said.
In the chase of 156, Gaikwad mixed aggression and timing to hit six fours and three sixes while bringing up his fifty in 22 balls, his fastest half-century in the tournament. He also indicated about batting at number three for CSK in the entire tournament.
“Right after I got out (the chase might have been tense). There are matches that get close sometimes but happy to be on the winning side. Me batting at number three is the requirement for the team, gives our new team balance and Rahul Tripathi can be aggressive at the top while I can play both sides of the game,” he said.
Despite wickets falling from the other end, Rachin Ravindra held one end firm to hit an unbeaten 45-ball 65, laced with two fours and four sixes, as CSK completed a nervy win with five balls to spare. Ravindra stated that he had to stay till the end as the pitch became challenging to bat at Chepauk.
“Mumbai made it really difficult for us, they changed the pace nicely in the middle. They choked us in the middle overs and made it difficult for us. The Chepauk wicket is definitely tricky at times, you don’t know what to expect.”
“The pitch was definitely holding a fraction, wasn’t turning a mile but their lengths made it difficult of runs. Rutu is amazing, struck at 200 without really trying, great batsmanship. It (the bump on the head he suffered in Pakistan) has been alright, hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”
Suryakumar Yadav, MI’s stand-in captain, admitted they fell short of the par total and appreciated debutant left-arm wrist-spinner Vignesh Puthur’s spell of 3-32. “We were actually 15-20 runs short but the fight the boys showed was commendable. There was no dew but it was pretty sticky, Ruturaj batted very well in the second innings.”
“Amazing (IPL debut by Vignesh Puthur). MI is known for that, scouring youngsters 10 months a year and they’ve done that. He has a bright future ahead. I kept his one over in the end in my pocket in case the game went far but it was a no-brainer in the end.”
–IANS
nr/bsk/
