"He's been an incredible leader": Eric Simons lauds Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of DC-CSK clash in IPL 2024

VISHAKAPATNAM:  Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 clash between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Eric Simons, the assistant coach of the CSK franchise, lauded skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying that he's been an incredible leader so far.

After winning their first two games of the ongoing IPL season, CSK will lock horns with DC in the 13th fixture of the tournament at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

CSK opener overtook all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Tuesday to become the franchise's seventh-highest run-getter in its history. The Chennai-based franchise skipper accomplished this upward movement in charts during the Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against the Gujarat Titans at Chepauk Stadium.

In 54 IPL matches for CSK, Gaikwad has scored 1,858 runs at an average of 38.70 and a strike rate of 134.93. In 53 innings, he has scored a century and 14 fifties. His best score is 101*.

In 174 matches for CSK, Jadeja has scored 1,818 runs at an average of 25.97 at a strike rate of 137.1, with two half-centuries. His best score is 62*.

Simons said that the right-hand batter is a very calm individual. He's a student of the game and loves learning about the game always.

"I think Ruturaj is a very calm individual. He's a student of the game, he loves learning about the game. Since the day he started with us, he's always asked questions, always asked about different things. One of the most important things about being a good cricketer is not just the skill and the tactics, but understanding the tactics. Why a field is in a certain position, why we employ certain tactics. And when you understand that, then you can adapt and do things differently. Understanding is a very important part of a cricketer's armory and something that we try and do a lot. Not just instruct a tactic, understand why we use it," asserted Simons as quoted by CSK official website.

Simons further stated that the 27-year-old player has a calm nature and doesn't get flustered easily. "He's that kind of person, naturally. He's got a calm nature, he doesn't get flustered very easily.

"He's that kind of person, naturally. He's got a calm nature, he doesn't get flustered very easily. And I think from that perspective, he'll be a very good leader. And then he's got people around him that understand what it means to be a leader," the former South Africa coach added.

In the end, Simons said that the Maharashtra-born cricketer has been an incredible leader so far, not only on the field but off the field as well.

"I think the fact that MS Dhoni is still there is obviously hugely important. He's been an incredible leader, not just as a cricketer on the field, but just as off the field as well. His ability to speak calmly under pressure. And we've all learned from that. And so has Ruturaj, he's in a great environment to learn and grow. But the most important thing is he wants to learn and he wants to be a student of the game," the 62-year-old concluded.

The defending champions had a brilliant start to their 2024 campaign. They have managed to win both of their games in the 17th edition so far. First, they defeated the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 opener by six wickets, and then they defeated the Gujarat Titans by 63 runs.

The five-time champions are currently the table toppers of IPL 2024, with four points as they have won both matches in the cash-rich league. After the two matches, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has a net run rate of +1.979.

CSK squad for IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande, Shardul Thakur, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, RS Hangargekar, Aravelly Avanish.