Gaikwad and Co. were undone by the pace and swing of the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack on a Guwahati wicket that proved helpful for the bowlers, and the skipper admitted that his batters struggled on the night.
“The wicket was slightly tougher, and we had to bat first, put up a score, and they had two really good new ball bowlers. So that really put us on the backfoot,” Gaikwad said. “And you know, in T20 games we are not really used to playing on such kinds of pitches.”
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“So maybe we don’t actually have that experience where players will adapt and play accordingly. But it’s a new group, new batch so you know they will learn slowly. The more games they get, they will get better and better.”
Gaikwad also said that while he expected the Chepauk pitch, which has become increasingly batting-friendly, to change slightly based on weather conditions; he backed his players to adapt to conditions.
“A lot depends here on the weather. Whatever World Cup games happened here, they happened in the month of February, so not much of dew, not much rain or cloudy weather as well. With the best weather and best conditions, I think usually the Chennai wicket plays really well.
“But at night sometimes you know if there’s excessive dew and a bit more moisture in the wicket, you know the wicket tends to change a bit. Especially the second half of the innings. So not really sure about how it will go this year. We have to adapt accordingly and take the experience. We have seven games, so hopefully whatever the pitch we’ll try to make is how much ever we can.
The CSK skipper also admitted that his team had got its combination wrong in 2025 and backed his new recruits to help the team catch up with the ever-rising scoring rates in IPL, which the team lagged behind significantly.
“I think the combination didn’t just click the way we wanted. And then obviously you know the second year of the cycle you just have limited options, limited pool available and you try to fill in those gaps with whatever players are available.”
“A lot depends on how individuals click, how individuals play and perform as well.”
| Photo Credit:
R RAGU
MS Dhoni was seen during the training session but didn’t bat in the nets.
| Photo Credit:
R RAGU
The 29-year-old pinpointed Kartik Sharma, who scored 18 from 15 balls on IPL debut as one of a handful to catch his eye
“Kartik is someone who has a really good six-hitting ability. I have not seen many right-handers who have that six-hitting ability, so he is a great addition to our squad,” said Gaikwad.
“Even Urvil Patel has a brilliant T20 record, Sarfaraz Khan is coming in with good recent T20 form as well. We have Prashant Veer who is still young, who is still finding his rhythm T20s but has exceptional skills. So I think the skills are there, it is just about dealing with the pressure.
Gaikwad remained coy on the fitness of Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni, both of whom missed the last match, saying that he was unsure about Brevis’ status as he had taken the day off. However, Brevis was later seen arriving at the CSK practice session.
Gaikwad also said that he would be able to answer “just when the 13th day is done” when asked about Dhoni’s progress after an original 14-day prognosis. Dhoni, likewise, was seen at the practice on Thursday but didn’t train.
Published on Apr 02, 2026
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