NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag believes that on the spin-friendly Chepauk track, Gujarat Titans will heavily depend on their star spinner Rashid Khan. Sehwag also termed Rashid as the trump card for the defending champions.
Gujarat Titans are set to face Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2023.
“Rashid Khan is the trump card for Gujarat. If they want wickets, they bring him. And then the way Hardik has used Rashid, it is commendable. Rashid likes to break partnerships and now he has become the most successful bowler of this season on the basis of his excellent performance,” Sehwag said.
IPL 2023, Qualifier 1: Chennai Super Kings ready for Gujarat Titans challenge
Both CSK and GT have been similar in their approach and it will be an evenly-poised contest at Chepauk when these two heavyweights collide in the first Playoff match of the season.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said two teams are tactically similar and that will make the contest between them interesting.
“Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans have been very similar teams tactically. Both these teams don’t look to make too much of changes and the leadership group keeps the atmosphere light in the dressing room. The battle between these two in Playoffs will be an interesting one,” Manjrekar said.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes the home condition will give CSK a slight advantage but the Dhoni-led side hasn’t been able to convert Chepauk into an impregnable fortress this year, unlike in the past, but the Playoffs experience will bode this team well.
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GT vs CSK IPL 2023 Qualifier 1: Chennai take on Gujarat at Chepauk
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<p>The astute tactician in MS Dhoni will dig deep into his reserves to counter Indian cricket’s new ‘Crown Prince’ Shubman Gill as four-time champions Chennai Super Kings will meet their match in current title holders Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of the IPL in Chennai on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Gill, who almost single-handedly knocked out a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore with a century for the keeps, has overshadowed Virat Kohli and will certainly force one of India’s greatest captains to go back to drawing board and make plans for him.<br /></p>
<p>Gill is in the midst of a dream season and what will be Dhoni’s tactical ploy to stop the dashing ‘Mohali Marauder’ is there to be seen.<br /></p>
<p>This season, Gujarat Titans haven’t played at the Chepauk, which hasn’t behaved in a singular manner during CSK’s seven home games and that prompted head coach Stephen Fleming to raise apprehensions about what to expect.<br /></p>
<p>What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that GT is a team that seems closest to being a proto-type of what CSK had been all these years in IPL.<br /></p>
<p>A captain, who swears that his understanding of leadership is cut from Dhoni’s ‘captaincy cloth’, and head coach Nehra, who just like his former teammate doesn’t believe in too many changes even if a couple of games go wrong.<br /></p>
<p>So, it becomes more interesting when two teams with similar philosophy are pitted against each other. The teams which don’t make long-term promises that are difficult to fulfill but focus on immediate process and know the roles of players required for slots.<br /><br /></p>
<p>For Gujarat, tackling the slowness of the Chepauk track will be a challenge and how well they negotiate Deepak Chahar’s powerplay overs and Matheesha Pathirana’s slingers at the back-end, will determine the outcome of the match.<br /></p>
<p>GT skipper Pandya and Ashish Nehra will find Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka’s inputs handy as he has handled both Pathirana and spinner Maheesh Theekshana for the national team.<br /></p>
<p>While Shanaka might be used more as an all-rounder, GT depending on the toss can also try out left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who knows these conditions well.<br /></p>
<p>For CSK, a good start by the crack pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be important. But at the Chepauk, even Ajinkya Rahane could become a factor while Shivam Dube would love to add to his 33 sixes for the season.<br /><br /></p>
<p>With GT bowling led by Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan (24 wickets each so far) things won’t be easy for the home team’s batters. How the CSK opening duo handles the relentless Shami may prove vital and it would be important for the under-performing middle-order to step up in a crunch game.<br /><br /></p>
<p>If a sluggish pitch is rolled out for the match, the spinners in the two teams would have a huge part to play. If CSK has Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Theekshana, the GT boast of a line-up that includes Rashid and Noor Ahmad.<br /><br /></p>
“The contest between CSK and GT will be intense as both teams know how to win big games. CSK playing at home is a big advantage, they know the conditions well but somewhere their performance at home hasn’t been foolproof this year. So this makes things interesting but CSK looks a completely different side when it plays in the Playoffs. I am really looking forward to this match,” Harbhajan said.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway come to the ground with full preparation. They have been complimenting each other very well this season. They have given good starts to CSK and scored runs in abundance and entertained the spectators. The team whose openers play well, tend to score well and that is why CSK are in a good position today,” Harbhajan said.
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