It was a tale of two halves for the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday at Chepauk. They were nowhere after the first 12 overs, managing just 50 runs on a tacky surface as Gujarat Titans’ pacers exploited the conditions to pick up four quick wickets. But after the strategic time-out, Chennai emerged as a different side, smashing 107 runs in the final eight overs.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad anchored the innings throughout, finishing unbeaten on 74 off 60 — his first half-century of the season and a sign of a return to form after a concerning start to IPL 2026. In the final 18 balls, he added 29 runs, aided by a quickfire 18 off six from Jamie Overton, which helped Chennai post a competitive total.
IPL 2026, CSK vs GT LIVE Score
Yet, it was the first 42 balls of his knock that drew criticism. Gaikwad scored just 35 runs in that phase, including 24 dot balls, and hit only two boundaries — both coming early in his innings against Mohammed Siraj in the third over.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, former India cricketer Murali Kartik said he was baffled by Gaikwad’s approach as he scored a 49-ball fifty – the slowest by a batter in the Impact Sub era (post 2023). “What CSK did today was beyond me. Even the way Ruturaj finished… that middle phase, what was he trying to do? It was just too confusing to follow the path they were taking,” he said.
South Africa great Shaun Pollock, part of the same panel, disagreed with that assessment, arguing that Chennai needed Gaikwad to drop anchor amid falling wickets and tricky conditions. “In the context of the game, everyone else was falling around him. He needed to stabilise. I know ‘anchor’ is an old-fashioned term in T20 cricket, but sometimes you need that,” he said.
Kartik, however, countered immediately, questioning Gaikwad’s inability to rotate strike. “You’re saying 20 off 37 is acceptable? Can’t he take a single? I didn’t understand, to be very honest. I’m perplexed. You can struggle for timing, especially when out of form, but to not rotate strike for such a long phase — that’s hard to explain,” he added.
Pollock then elaborated on his stance, suggesting that the eventual total justified the approach. “Gaikwad did chew up dot balls, but so did the others. The fact that they still got close to 160 gives them something to defend. Ideally, you want quicker scoring, but given how wickets were falling, you can accept it in context,” he explained.
Meanwhile, on ESPNcricinfo, former India head coach Sanjay Bangar offered a more balanced view.
“I don’t think there was any instruction from the management to hold back. It was more of an internal restriction. Once he opened up, he played some excellent shots, and suddenly the pitch didn’t look as difficult as it had earlier. It also comes down to intent — and once he shifted gears, the shots flowed. That’s something Ruturaj Gaikwad will need to address earlier in his innings,” he said.