‘I hate…’: CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s blunt verdict

New Delhi: Disappointment palpable Ruturaj Gaikwadface after chennai super kings An eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.Gaikwad led the way with a gritty unbeaten 74 to help CSK post a competitive score of 158/7 against GT.In reply, Sai Sudarsan’s flowing half-century, along with important contributions from Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler, propelled Gujarat Titans to a comfortable eight-wicket victory.GT put up a clinical chase, with their top three – Sai, Gill and Buttler – accounting for most of the scoring. The win marked their fourth of the season and moved them fifth in the table.“Yeah, to be honest, sometimes I hate being evaluated that way, but I find it challenging. I have reservations about the Pacers. The rhythm is inconsistent and the bounce goes up and down. But if we hadn’t lost too many wickets, our record might have been 170-180. Honestly, it’s difficult to assess the conditions here,” Gaikwad said after the match.“In the last three games, we understood how the game was going to go. We had 60-70 per cent chances in the last two or three games, but we didn’t expect it to be like this today, we just couldn’t adapt to the conditions. In the first timeout, I told Flem that I was trying to be positive and aggressive. But sometimes, the ball bounced inconsistently. I told him I was trying to adapt, but it was impossible,” he said.“You can’t judge and you can’t expect the result to be good. We were lethargic and didn’t start well but we need to do better. I had a good start (6 for 10) and I thought I would keep the momentum going but then we saw 3 wickets fall while trying to build a partnership. Another wicket fell and I wanted to take my time. Against any other pitch, I’d probably spin the strike better. Once I get hit, I just want to take advantage and get my momentum back. We were batting really well and if we hadn’t lost two quick wickets, Mukesh would have come out in the second innings. But we lost two wickets very quickly and that’s why we picked an impactful player,” he added.CSK will next take on Mumbai Indians on Saturday.