IPL 2023: ‘We absolutely respect CSK,’ says GT’s director of cricket ahead of blockbuster final

Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn’t mind ‘remember to remember’ but young Shubman Gill will do everything in his control to prevent Chennai Super Kings from beating Gujarat Titans to win their fifth IPL title on Sunday.

Almost 19 years ago when a young Dhoni was taking his first step in India blue, a four-year-old Gill was walking with a customized bat handmade by his grandfather on a vast farm in Punjab’s Fazilka village on the border with Pakistan. Was. ,

On Sunday, at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium, the soon-to-be 42-year-old Dhoni will have one last assignment in his favorite canary yellow jersey – to stop Indian cricket’s megastars-in-waiting and ‘high five’ .

Three centuries and 851 runs doesn’t happen every season, but what will be Dhoni’s strategy to rein in the ‘Mohali robbers’ on a batting belt from Motera?

Will it be Deepak Chahar’s swing or Ravindra Jadeja’s wicket-to-wicket bowling? Or will it be Moeen Ali, who could be the ‘joker in the pack’ with his seductively flying deliveries outside off-stump that can break back swiftly. Can Mathisha Pathirana bowl some sharp toe-crushers?

The team’s Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki has already informed everyone that GT will not take CSK lightly as they have a head-to-head situation. CSK have lost three of the four matches they have played against Gujarat Titans.

“We fully appreciate and respect what CSK has done. “They have been a great team for many years now and we respect that,” Solanki said during the pre-match media briefing ahead of the IPL 2023 final in Ahmedabad. “We respect the playing group. As we have done against all opponents throughout the year, we have respected every opposition we have come up against. But we try and prepare ourselves to be competitive against anyone and we have faith in our preparation.”

A technically close batsman against a captain known for out-of-the-box thinking. Nothing can be more exciting than this. His die-hard fans can expect him to bounce back again next year, but even Dhoni, who has played the entire season with a severe left knee stiffness, may find it extremely difficult to keep up with the demands of the shortest format. Could (‘GT has a better bowling unit than CSK,’ Irfan Pathan makes bold statement ahead of IPL final)

So for every ‘Thala’ (big brother in Tamil) fan, it is all about enjoying the Dhoni moments. In this CSK set-up, he could afford to bat at No.8 in most of the games but was entering the final with a bowling line-up that missed Deepak Chahar the better part of a handful of deliveries. Was gone and a prolific Tushar Deshpande had to convert one. Reliable wicket taker.

Whether turning an inconsistent Shivam Dube into a six-hitting bully or overseeing the comeback of T20 bowler Ravindra Jadeja, the Dhoni legend will never cease to exist. It will only increase and the stories of his captaincy will also be lined with the coat of myths of the decades.

They say familiarity breeds contempt but contempt will be the last word on Dhoni and CSK’s mind when they face Hardik Padya’s titans. CSK’s logo features a “roaring lion”, but they would take the team from the Gir forest lightly at their peril.

After 73 games, two of the most consistent teams are pitted against each other in the summit clash. No team has emulated the structural and team-building ethos of the Chennai Super Kings as much as the Gujarat Titans, another team where cricketing decisions are based on sound logic, consistency and interference from domineering owners.

There is a captain in Pandya who believes there is only one way to lead the team. This is called ‘The Mahi Way’. Batsmen win matches but bowlers win tournaments is an old saying and it couldn’t be more apt when one looks at the performance of the Titans.

Mohammed Shami (28 wickets), Rashid Khan (27 wickets) and Mohit Sharma (24 wickets) have executed plans more often than not and thus it hasn’t really impressed the Titans who have the second highest total after Gill’s 851. The leading run-scorer is Hardik Pandya (325), who is more than 500 runs behind.

Excellent keeper Wriddhiman Saha would consider himself lucky that the team management never thought of replacing him, despite opening the batting with a strike-rate of 127 and scoring just over one half-century in 16 innings.

And here Dhoni will try to capitalize on this opportunity. If they can catch our quick Gill, none of the other batsmen have shown any way to put up a tough fight and the bowlers will need a decent total on the board.

Under Dhoni, if players like Ajinkya Rahane (299 runs in 13 matches, two fifties) and Shivam Dube have held their own this season, Sri Lanka’s Mathisha Pathirana (17 wickets in 15 matches) and India’s uncapped Tushar Deshpande ( Young bowlers like 21) wickets in 15 matches) have also been able to find their feet in the IPL phase.

In CSK’s batting line-up, Devon Conway (625 runs in 15 matches, six fifties) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (564 runs in 15 matches, four fifties) have time and again provided CSK strong starts at the top.

Big-hitting Dube (386 runs in 15 matches, three fifties) is the joint second-highest six hitter for CSK in this IPL with 33 sixes, joining Gill in the list. There is no clear favorite and this could be one of the best finals in the history of IPL.