Chennai, April 26 Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted that his side struggled to adapt to challenging pitch conditions as they slumped to an eight-wicket defeat against the Gujarat Titans in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Reflecting on the surface, which offered variable bounce and inconsistent pace, Gaikwad highlighted how difficult it was for batters to settle in despite initial plans.
“To be honest, sometimes I hate to assess in that way, but I felt it was challenging. I was holding a bit for the pacers; the pace was inconsistent, and the bounce was up and down. But if we hadn't lost too many wickets, we could've reached 170-180. Not expected to be honest, it's tough to assess the conditions here. In the last three matches, we learned how the game would play out. We had a 60-70% chance in the last two or three games, but we didn't expect it to play like this today. We just couldn't adapt to the conditions,” Gaikwad said after the game.
CSK, who eventually posted 158/7, had to recover from early setbacks after losing wickets in clusters. Gaikwad pointed out that the inability to adjust quickly to the surface proved costly, particularly during the Power-play and middle overs when partnerships were crucial.
Elaborating on his communication with the team management during the innings, Gaikwad revealed that even a proactive approach could not overcome the pitch's unpredictability.
“In the first timeout, I told Flem that I was trying to be positive and aggressive. But at times, the ball popped out with an inconsistent bounce. I told him I was trying to adapt, but it wasn't possible. You couldn't judge, and you couldn't expect it to turn out well. We were lethargic and didn't start well, but we needed to do better,” Gaikwad said.
Despite the difficulties, the CSK skipper anchored the innings with a composed knock, finishing unbeaten and attempting to steer the side towards a competitive total. However, he acknowledged that wickets at regular intervals disrupted momentum and forced a change in approach.
“I got off to a good start (10 off 6), I thought I would keep the momentum, but then we saw 3 wickets fall while we were trying to build a partnership. Another wicket fell, and I wanted to take my time. For any other pitch, I might've rotated the strike better. Once I got hit, I just thought I would take my chances and get some momentum back,” he said.
Gaikwad also touched upon the tactical decisions taken during the innings, including the use of the Impact Player, suggesting that the loss of wickets forced the team’s hand, as he said, “We were batting really well; if we hadn't lost two quick wickets, Mukesh would've come in the second innings. But we lost two wickets quickly, which is why we opted for an impact player.”
Chennai’s total ultimately proved insufficient against a clinical Gujarat Titans batting unit, who chased down the target with ease.
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