(Cricket news) When CSK batted first, three players achieved half-centuries. As CSK compiled 235 runs, the highest ever at the Eden Gardens in the IPL, Shivam Dube scored 50 runs (21b, 2×4, 5×6), Devon Conway scored 56 runs (40b, 4×4, 3×6), and Ajinkya Rahane scored 71 runs (29b, 6×4, 5×6). For KKR, Jason Roy led all scorers with 61 runs (26b, 5×4, 5×6). Rinku Singh batted until the end and reached a half-century, but KKR only got 186 runs, so it wasn’t enough.
For many years, critics have praised the Chennai Super Kings system for its capacity to get the greatest performance out of its players. Former CSK champion and JioCinema TATA IPL analyst Robin Uthappa talked about Ajinkya Rahane’s career resurrection and why Chennai was the best place for him to do this. “Ajinkya Rahane has found a new level and he’s batting incredibly well. Today’s innings prove that he’s found a second wind in his career and it will go on for longer.”
Uthappa also said, “There are a couple of things that separate this Chennai franchise from others. The first is role clarity, there is communication, and they’re given confidence that if they get a chance, they can get at least four to five chances even if they don’t score. Especially, if you are a proven senior professional. What more does a player want? A good player wants just this much. If you give a good player security, he’ll 100% perform well.”
For his outstanding batting that evening, Rahane was named Player of the Match. Due to Rahane’s improved play, Eoin Morgan compared his new batting approach to that of TATA IPL icon Brendon McCullum. “He’s completely reinvented himself. This is closer to Brendon McCullum-style batting than Ajinkya Rahane. The strike rate in this tournament so far has been through the roof. So many shots are not only elegant but incredibly destructive as well, helping things on the way. You have to sit back and admire what they’ve created. It just goes to show the clarity and freedom he’s been given from Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni to come out and play ridiculous shots.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, the CSK’s opening pair, received a lot of praise from Morgan for their performance tonight. “They are rolling with confidence and momentum and when you have a combination of that, it is hard to stop, particularly on such a small ground at Eden Gardens.”
