Ruturaj Gaikwad on Wednesday roared back to form with a blistering 64 off 42 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the match by 18 runs to register their third win of the season in Indian Premier League (IPL) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With this win, CSK has dethroned Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as IPL table toppers. Talking about his performance, in a video posted on CSK's official Twitter handle, Gaikwad said that the positivity in the team's dressing room helped him.
"It feels really great to be part of such franchise, where everybody not just our coaching staff and skipper (MS Dhoni), but everyone is backing you up," Gaikwad said.
"Pawsitive atmosphere sparking a positive performance from Rocket Raja! #KKRvCSK #WhistlePodu @Ruutu1331," CSK captioned the short video on Twitter.
Gaikwad also said that he was delighted with his performance, especially because "my contribution has been for a winning cause." When asked about Chennai's strategy, the batsman said, "It was pretty simple and clear. We were looking at which bowler to target and which bowler to knock out."
Another CSK player, Narayan Jagadeesan, also appears in a short cameo in the video, saying that Gaikwad had yesterday claimed that he would get a fifty. CSK fans also showed their appreciation for Gaikwad in the comment section.
"The trust in Gaikwad shown by Dhoni and Fleming has finally paid off. What a cracker of a performance by the young opener, classy and confident," said a fan, adding that the batsman had "classy drives, explosive shots, forced sixes, and a lot of running".
"If backing player is an art Then CSK is Picasso of it," wrote another user.
"Rutu ....is back.....captain show faith in him and he shows the spark again," wrote another follower of the team.
Chennai Super Kings will next take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 19th match of IPL on Sunday.