IPL 2022: Always go to Mahi Bhai and discuss, says Jadeja after CSK's first win
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ravindra Jadeja has said he always goes to 'Mahi Bhai' [MS Dhoni] to discuss strategies.
Jadeja's comments came after CSK's first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Tuesday. After losing their first four games, CSK defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 23 runs to finally go off the mark in the underway campaign.
Batting first, CSK posted 216 for 4 in 20 overs, thanks to Robin Uthappa's 88 and Shivam Dube's 95.
Jadeja, who took over CSK's captaincy from Dhoni ahead of IPL 2022, dedicated his first win as captain to his wife and the team.
"First of all, this is the first victory as a captain ever. I would like to dedicate it to my wife and also the team because a first victory is always special. Previous four games, we couldn't cross the line. But as a team, we came good. As a batting unit, everybody did a good job. Robbie and Shivam batted brilliantly. The bowlers contributed with the ball as well," Jadeja said at the post-match presentation on Tuesday.
The CSK all-rounder also said that the team management does not put pressure on him and instead, they are always motivating him.
"As a captain, I am still picking the brains of the senior players. Mahi bhai is there, I always go to him and discuss. Moulding into a new role, it'll take time to get things going. I am still learning and trying to get better with each game.
"We have plenty of experience in our dressing room. Experience comes into play, we don't panic early. We try to keep ourselves calm, we back ourselves and we look to play positive cricket. We'll look to push hard, we've got the momentum, we'll try and continue the momentum," added Jadeja.
Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana, along with his skipper Jadeja, were the standouts with the ball for CSK in the second innings. Theekshana, who is playing in his maiden season, recorded his best figures in the IPL as he picked up four wickets for 33 runs. Jadeja also bagged three scalps.
IPL 2022: We missed Harshal Patel against CSK, says RCB captain du Plessis
On Tuesday, RCB lost their top-order batters inside the powerplay overs. RCB captain Faf du Plessis was the first one to depart. The Proteas batsman scored just eight off nine deliveries. From 14 for 1, RCB went two-down with just 20 runs on the board, and this time, it was the big fish Virat Kohli to depart. Anuj Rawat was also sent back to the pavilion an over later.
"When you are chasing a big score you have to have a good start. One of the first four setting up the foundation, we didn't have that tonight. Good bowling from Chennai, they used their spinners well on a pitch that had some grip. We lost momentum with wickets, but we came back well. That shows the depth in our batting.
"Impressed by the way the guys coming in on a debut at 5 or 6 and playing like that just shows depth in our bowling. Even though we lost we were only 20 runs short on a total we should have been blown out of order and that is impressive," said RCB captain du Plessis after his side's loss at DY Patil Stadium.
Du Plessis also acknowledged the fact that they missed Harshal Patel's services with the ball and bat. The pacer left RCB's bio-bubble after their previous game following the death of his sister.
"You see the value he (Harshal) offers not just to this team but any team. He has got the ability to really stop the game. We missed that tonight. Even towards the end, we lacked the variety. Big miss for us, hopefully, we will have him back soon again," added du Plessis.
RCB now have a three-day break before they take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2022 on Saturday (April 16) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. CSK's next game is against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday at MCA Stadium, Pune.