'Played 10-12 balls and decided...'; Ruturaj Gaikwad praises upcoming CSK star bowler

The CSK vs MI match, namely touted as the El Clasico of IPL, has proven to be a one-sided affair in the 49th game. Both times, it was the Chennai Super Kings who picked up an easy win over their biggest adversary. While Ajinkya Rahane took away the game from MI a month ago with his exceptional batting skills, it was a budding pacer who stole the show with his balling mastery on Saturday.

Matheesha Pathirana, who has taken the IPL by storm, turned out to be the match-winner for the Super Kings on Saturday. The 20-year-old gave only 15 runs in his quota of 4 wickets, and the process picked up three crucial wickets. Nehal Wadhera, Tristan Stubbs, and Arshad Khan fell to Pathirana’s bowling capabilities.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad praises Matheesha Pathirana

Following the game, CSK’s premier batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad hailed Matheesha Pathirana for his exceptional bowling. Gaikwad revealed what it is like to deal with Pathirana while also adding that he does not want to “face him.” Here’s what Ruturaj Said.

“I only faced like 10-12 balls of him in the nets and I was like, I don’t want to face him. It is tough to pick and tough to judge the length of the ball. First thing, you’re finding where the ball is, or where it is coming from. The second thing is judging the length, judging the lines. You’re always slightly late while facing him and, thankfully, he is in our team,” Ruturaj Gaikwad said.

“On the CSK's 6-wicket win over Mumbai Ruturaj stated, It was a complete team performance. I don’t think there were areas to improve as each one contributed. Even in the bowling unit and the fielding unit, we were 100 percent. Overall, the fielding was good. In bowling, right from the first ball, we were up to the mark and even batting also we were up there. Today’s game was a complete performance,” Ruturaj Gaikwad added.

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MI vs CSK IPL 2023: CSK picks up 6-wicket win over MI

MI versus CSK is perhaps the most coveted match in the IPL. In their earlier meeting, it was CSK who picked up an easy win. A month has passed since then, but the scenario remains the same. In the reverse fixture, the Chennai Super Kings picked up the sweep after the Mumbai Indians set up a meager 139 runs on the board. While Chennai won by six wickets, Matheesha Pathirana was adjudged as the man of the match following his exotic spell of 3 for 15 from 4 overs.