Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) marked their third victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on April 8 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK beat Shreyas Iyer's KKR by seven wickets at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. Following this win, former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that it must be tough for Ruturaj to lead the side with former skipper MS Dhoni who is still playing as a wicketkeeper-batter.
Ruturaj was handed the captaincy of the franchise a day before the start of the IPL 2024. In a surprising move, Dhoni stepped down from the leadership role. Ruturaj began his captaincy on a good note with two wins and then suffered two losses.
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Ruturaj has taken over from a God: Michael Vaughan
While speaking on Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan said that it might be difficult for Ruturaj to captain and take full control when Dhoni is still present in the dressing room referring to Sir Alex Ferguson (former Manchester United manager). He went on to say that Ruturaj had taken over the captaincy from ‘God’.
“He has taken over from a God. This situation is like Sir Alex Ferguson is still in the dressing room when the new manager comes in. MS Dhoni is still there. It must be so hard. It is difficult to captain MS but I think it is MS who took that decision to step aside," said Vaughan.
‘I am yet to see Ruturaj look completely in control’
Meanwhile, the 49-year-old Vaughan advised the CSK skipper to score runs and play some big knocks to put his team in a better position and take control in the middle. During the match against KKR, Ruturaj scored an unbeaten 67 off 58 balls while chasing a modest target of 138.
"I am yet to see Ruturaj look completely in control in the middle. The only advice I would give him is to focus on getting as many runs as you possibly can. If he can do that, I think his team will be in a better position and that's the only way he can get that feel-good factor if the team wins”, Vaughan further added.
CSK set to lock horns with MI
CSK will face their rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in their next match on April 14 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This rivalry in the IPL is one of the most anticipated and exciting as both teams have won five IPL titles earlier. This will be the first time both the teams will have a new captain unlike Dhoni and Rohit Sharma used to be.
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