XtraTime Web Desk: Chennai Super Kings will miss the services of talented batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad in their opening encounter of the 13th edition of IPL against reigning champions Mumbai Indians on September 19. The 23 year old batsman from Maharshtra was the second cricketer in CSK camp along with Deepak Chahar to test positive for coronavirus pandemic. While Chahar has fully recovered and is in the reckoning for a place in the playing XI against MI, Ruturaj in all probability might have to sit out. Although he has finished his two-week quarantine and is understood to be asymptomatic, but he is yet to clear the two mandatory Covid-19 tests put in place by the IPL for him to re-join the squad.
According to Mr Kashi Viswanathan, the CEO of Chennai Super Kings told ESPNcricinfo that, “We are waiting for BCCI to give us a clearance on Gaikwad. He has to undergo the fitness tests [as well],”
He added” It could take another two days at least to get a clear idea.”
Gaikwad is still in a separate isolation facility, outside the team hotel. The talented batsman was thought as a replacement for Suresh Raina, who left back to India last month citing personal reasons. Gaikwad has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket. He has scored more List A runs than anyone for India A in the last two years – 843 runs in 15 innings. All those runs came while batting at No. 3, the position Raina mostly batted at for Super Kings. He had a great performance in the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy last season in which he scored 419 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 146.30 was only second to Devdutt Padikkal’s 580 runs in 12 innings.