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SPORTS                                                                  APRIL 12, 2024     |  The Indian Eye 46



        said that the management of the
        Punjab-based franchise backed him.
        He added that the confidence helped
        him play a blitzkrieg knock.
            The right-handed batter further
        added that was happy to repay his
        coaches’ faith in him.
            “Confidence  was  there  because
        the coaches and Punjab Kings man-
        agement believed in me a lot. They
        were backing me a lot. They told me
        ‘You’re such a player who is capable
        of finishing games for us’. That con-
        fidence, I carried. I went out to the
        middle and applied it. I feel happy to
        have repaid the faith shown by the
        coaches,” Ashutosh said.
            He also showered praise on Sha-
        shank Singh and said that the batting
        allrounder played a “good” inning at
        the end of the match.
            Ashutosh revealed that both he
        and Shashank did  not  panic at the
        end of the run chase and were very
        calm.
            “It was a very good innings from
        Shashank Singh. I had confidence in
        him that he would be able to pull it
        off. We both are pinch-hitters. We
        had belief that we would win the     Chennai Super Kings’ skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad plays a shot during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday (ANI)
        match. We both were very calm, we
        didn’t panic at all,” he added.
            Both  Ashutosh  and  Shashank   agement will decide on the Sri Lanka   two half-centuries. His best score is   little bit of a struggle for the team and
        played a 43-run partnership in the   spinner’s future after they receive the   62*.                   they have been “probably caught a
        end while chasing the 200-run part-  medical report.                    The 27-year-old player further   little bit behind with our conditions”.
        nership given by GT, to help the visi-  “Hasaranga has visited a spe-  stated  that  the  most  positive  out-  Maxwell has had a poor start
        tors win the game by 3 wickets.   cialist  in  Dubai  and  we  are  waiting   come in his career was when he was   as well with the bat and the right-
                                          for the reports to come. We are just   selected by the Chennai franchise   hander has been able to score just 31
          SRH HEAD COACH VETTORI          hopeful that positive reports come   that bought him in 2019, however, I   runs in four innings. The off-spinner
           OPENS UP HASARANGA’S           out, and as soon as we have the re-  was not been selected in the playing   has managed to grab four wickets in
                                                                            XI in that year.
                                                                                                              as many matches in the 17th edition
                                          ports, we will be making the deci-
                    INJURY                sion,” Vettori said.                  “I would say the most positive   of IPL.
             unrisers Hyderabad  (SRH)                                      outcomes until now has been when I    “It obviously hasn’t been a great
             head coach Daniel Vettori gave   RUTURAJ GAIKWAD ON HIS        got selected in 2019. Though I knew   start for us or myself. It’s been a little
        Sa  major  update  on  Sri Lanka        TENURE WITH CSK             that I wouldn’t be a part of the playing   bit of a struggle. I think we’ve been
        star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga’s                                    eleven  throughout  the  tournament,   probably caught a little bit behind
        injury and said that the 26-year-old    hennai  Super  Kings  (CSK)   but to be in the stadium, to be in the   with our conditions that we’ve prob-
        has travelled to Dubai to consult with   skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said   dressing room, to be in the practice   ably produced in the first few home
        a specialist.                     Che is grateful for the six years   sessions with all of those players who   games as well, Maxwell said as quot-
            According to a previous  report   of  journey  with  the  franchise.  CSK   have done really exceptional work in   ed by ESPNcricinfo.
        from ESPNcricinfo, Hasaranga fea-  opener overtook all-rounder Ravin-  international cricket...So definitely I   “I think last year we had a beau-
        tured in Sri Lanka’s white-ball series   dra Jadeja on Tuesday to become the   think 2019 was I would say the best   tiful even wicket that we were able
        against Bangladesh with a substantial   franchise’s seventh-highest run-get-  learning curve for me and that real-  to I suppose get ourselves into the
        amount of pain in his left heel. The   ter in its history. The Chennai-based   ly helped a lot immediately as I went   game, get our top batters going and
        report further revealed that the Sri   franchise skipper accomplished this   on to India A squad and scored two   I’ve felt that those two-paced wick-
        Lanka Cricket (SLC) doctors have   upward movement in charts during   to three hundreds and then followed   ets just been a bit of a struggle for
        advised Hasaranga to get a medical   the Indian Premier League (IPL)   up with good domestic performance   our overseas players to get into the
        opinion to understand the nature of   clash against the Gujarat Titans at   as well,” Gaikwad said as quoted by   game and get that sort of consistency
        the injury and how to manage it.  Chepauk Stadium.                  CSK official website.             of performance. And when you start
            While speaking at the pre-match   In  54  IPL  matches  for  CSK,                                 slow in T20 cricket, it can be hard to
        press conference, Vettori said that   Gaikwad has scored 1859 runs at an   MAXWELL ON RCB’S POOR      come  back  and  find  rhythm  to  get
        the Hyderabad-based franchise is   average of 37.94 and a strike rate of   START THIS SEASON          back into it. So hopefully this little
        currently waiting for Hasaranga’s   134.81. In 53 innings, he has scored a                            away  trip  does  us  some  good,”  the
        medical reports to come. The former   century and 14 fifties. His best score   ollowing Royal Challengers   Australian all-rounder added.
        New Zealand cricketer said that they   is 101*.                          Bengaluru’s  (RCB)  poor  per-   RCB has got off to a poor start
        are hoping that they will receive pos-  In 174 matches for CSK, Jadeja  Fformance in the Indian Pre-  in the Indian Premier League (IPL)
        itive reports.                    has scored 2745 runs at an average of   mier League (IPL) 2024, all-rounder   this season, having lost three of their
            He  added  that  the  team  man-  26.65 at a strike rate of 128.87, with   Glenn Maxwell said that it’s been a   four matches.


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