Skipper Gaikwad says its all due to dew!

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad v Punjab Kings at Chennai on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

The absence of two frontline bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande, and copious amount of dew at the Chepauk Stadium hurt Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their seven-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings here on Wednesday, reckoned skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (62). CSK could only muster a below-par 162-7. Gaikwad made a handsome 62, but other batters struggled against accurate spin bowling by Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar.

Two major changes

CSK had to make two changes for the match as their Sri Lankan pacer Pathirana was nursing a niggle and Deshpande was unwell. Replacements Richard Gleeson and Shardul Thakur failed to impress as heavy dew set in during Punjab's chase.

"It is a real problem [not having Pathirana and Deshpande]. There are phases where you want to get a wicket, and you have only two bowlers, plus the spinners are out of the question because of the dew. Can't do much," Gaikwad rued.

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The skipper added that the dew compounded CSK's problem as they tried to restrict the Punjab batters. "It's very difficult. Even in the last game, we were quite surprised that we would win by that much margin.

"This [dew] is something we can't control. We can slightly bat better in the first innings. In the last two games, we tried our best to get 200-210. It was tough to get 180 on this pitch," he said.

Gaikwad said another 50-60 runs would have made the difference. "50-60 runs short to be honest. When we were batting first, the pitch wasn't great, plus the dew as well [in the second innings]."

Toss pressure

The skipper also rued his luck with the toss, saying despite trying his best, he couldn't find the right formula to call it right. "I have practised [toss] a lot. I am winning in the practice, but not winning in the match. What to do. I am really under pressure at the toss, not at the game," said Gaikwad.

Punjab's stand-in skipper Sam Curran who played a crucial role with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 26, said beating CSK at their home turf was always a great feeling. "Anytime you come to Chennai and get two points, it is a huge feeling. Last year also we lost all our home games and won the away games. We are getting a hint of the formulas."