Former CSK spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Ruturaj Gaikwad strongly after the end of CSK’s IPL 2026 campaign on a disappointing note. He has urged the CSK fans to stop hurling abuses at the young skipper.
CSK have been officially eliminated from the IPL after the massive 89-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Chennai ended the league stage with six wins, which marked their third failure to make it to the playoffs.
This season marked the end of the season for the Super Kings after the team went through the biggest transition in the history of the IPL. They played an entire stretch of 14 games without their legendary player, MS Dhoni, as Samson kept wickets and Gaikwad took charge as the skipper of the five-time champions.
Ravichandran Ashwin backs Ruturaj Gaikwad despite poor form.
Criticism is obvious, but sometimes the fans can’t hold onto their emotions and abuse cricketers in some undeserving fashion. Speaking on his YouTube channel, former CSK star Ravichandran Ashwin opined that fans have been too harsh with their criticisms of the young CSK skipper.
“I will maintain, Ruturaj is a good player, yes. Sometimes, people abuse so much; I don’t know the reason. Ruturaj Gaikwad is not that kind of player. It can happen to anyone. Time can change for anyone,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.
Having made a point that form is always temporary, and even the best of players go through rough patches, he established it further, drawing reference to Ishan Kishan, the renowned Indian batter who bounced back to excellent form after having experienced a lean patch over the past few seasons.
“Take Ishan Kishan, for example. If you remember, the Mumbai Indians spent a lot of money to get Ishan Kishan in the auction, but he didn’t do much at the Mumbai Indians,” Ravichandran Ashwin added, citing the example of Ishan Kishan.
“Dhoni and CSK have made everyone habituated,” Ashwin blames MS Dhoni for CSK fans’ high expectations ahead of every IPL season.
After having backed Gaikwad for his batting form, Ravichandran Ashwin explained that CSK fans have their hopes soaring high every season, due to the precedent set by the former skipper MS Dhoni. Dhoni led CSK to five titles and almost doubled the number of times in the playoffs.
Ashwin claimed that nowadays the competition has grown tougher than before, and all of those ten teams have the potential for victory on their day. Under Gaikwad’s leadership, CSK have not made it to the playoffs since IPL 2024.
“Dhoni and CSK have made everyone habituated over the last 18 years that we will win, we will reach the playoffs; it’s that easy. It is not like that now. There are 10 teams now. Every team plays good cricket.
Anyone can beat anyone on their day, and Chennai this time won against all the teams below them, who are at the bottom of the table. So, they have some yards to go, but they have a lot of promise in their team,” Ravichandran Ashwin explained.
Ruturaj Gaikwad might struggle to continue his reign as the skipper of CSK.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, the youngster from Maharashtra, emerged as one of the most special cricketers for the Chennai Super Kings under MS Dhoni’s leadership. After some promising performances, he was backed as Dhoni’s successor in the CSK team.
However, Gaikwad has failed to create an impact as the leader of the team. Instead of favourable outcomes with the Super Kings, he went on to increase their concerns with a lack of batting form. He managed to finish this season with just 337 runs, and that too at a disastrous strike rate of just 123.44.
His strike rate was a major talking point for all CSK fans, especially after he scored his first half-century in the season off 49 deliveries. Criticism has grown louder around Gaikwad’s lack of potential as a true successor for MS Dhoni in the role of CSK’s captain.
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