“Can go at a strike rate of 200 whenever he wants”

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad is capable of batting at a strike rate of 200 whenever he wants. His comments came ahead of CSK’s IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scheduled for Friday, May 15, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Game Plan’ segment, Pathan said that the opener plays the short ball well and handles spin effectively, adding that it is all about mindset. He said:

“But his ability, I have been saying this from day one, is that he is a batter who can go at a strike rate of 200 whenever he wants. He plays short balls well, he plays well in front of the wicket, and he plays spin well. I think it is all about mindset.”

The 41-year-old further stated that Gaikwad should enjoy batting in Lucknow as the surface offers bounce and pace. He added that he would be watching how quickly the opener scores runs, saying:

“There were two very good innings in between, which made it seem like he would now play fast and keep scoring runs. But on this pitch, he should enjoy batting because on surfaces with bounce and pace, Ruturaj Gaikwad is very comfortable. But again, what everyone will be watching, including me, is how fast he scores runs.”

The 29-year-old has amassed 293 runs in 11 innings at an average of 32.55 and a strike rate of 124.15, including two half-centuries.

“You would definitely want to take that chance” – Umesh Yadav on key matchup against CSK opener

In the same discussion, discarded India seamer Umesh Yadav stated that LSG could look to use Shahbaz Ahmed against Ruturaj Gaikwad, considering the spinner’s strong record against the CSK opener. He said:

“In such situations, you always think about match-ups. If a bowler has dismissed a particular batter three times, you would definitely want to take that chance, and they would also look at it. First, they would assess how the bowling went in the powerplay. If they don’t get a wicket there, then definitely they would try bringing in Shahbaz or even another spinner. But I feel if you have that option, you should go for it, especially if the bowler has such a good strike rate against that batter. So definitely, it should be tried.”

Shahbaz has dismissed Gaikwad three times, with the right-hander managing just 28 runs off 23 balls against him.