CSK fans completely criticized Ruturaj Gaikwad in the last home game: 15 runs in 21 balls, 0 fours

Sumit Sharma Sports

CSK fans completely criticized Ruturaj Gaikwad in the last home game: 15 runs in 21 balls, 0 fours

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad faced a nightmare in the team’s last home match of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday, May 18. After electing to bat first in a must-win encounter, Gaikwad struggled badly for pace and slowed down CSK’s innings at the crucial stage of the game.

Opening the batting with Sanju Samson, Ruturaj attempted to get the innings going on the difficult Chepauk surface. However, in an era where anchor batsmen often operate at strike rates above 140, the CSK skipper could manage just 15 runs off 21 balls and eventually lost his wicket in the 12th over.

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At the time of his dismissal, Chennai had scored only 100 runs despite having the wicket in hand, putting additional pressure on the middle order in a game they could not afford to lose.

This slow innings was immediately criticized by fans on social media, especially as the batsmen around him looked far more comfortable with the speed of the surface. While Ruturaj scored at a strike rate of just 71.4, Sanju Samson, Karthik Sharma and Urvil Patel all batted at strike rates above 160 during their respective cameos.

Was the Chennai pitch difficult?

A major factor behind Ruturaj’s struggles appears to be the nature of the MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch. Chennai Super Kings had used a black clay surface in an apparent attempt to neutralize Sunrisers Hyderabad’s explosive batting lineup.

Although this tactic may have been aimed at slowing down SRH later in the match, it also trapped CSK’s own captain.

Ruturaj looked particularly uncomfortable against the cutters and slower balls bowled by Pat Cummins and Saqib Hussain. Instead of taking risks, the opener mainly focused on rotating the strike and protecting his wicket, a strategy that never allowed CSK to break free during the middle overs.

Remarkably, Ruturaj failed to hit a single four in his entire innings, ending without hitting a four or a six in one of the slowest innings ever. IPL 2026 season.