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Despite a strong beginning to his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 journey, Rachin Ravindra, the New Zealand batter for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has encountered recent struggles. His woes continued as he faced yet another disappointing performance, being dismissed for a golden duck when CSK clashed with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Friday (April 19).
Mohsin Khan’s deception: The wicket of Rachin Ravindra
In the encounter, LSG’s skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl first, prompting CSK to take to the crease. Opening the innings for Chennai was the seasoned Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane, alongside Rachin Ravindra. The first over, delivered by Matt Henry of LSG, was navigated safely by Rahane.
However, in the following over bowled by the tall left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan, Rachin fell victim to an in swinging delivery, failing to open his account, much to the disappointment of both him and CSK supporters. Mohsin unleashed a full-length delivery that sharply angled in at the last moment. Despite Rachin’s effort to drive the ball, he was outfoxed by the late swing, resulting in the ball crashing into the middle and off stump.
Here’s the video:
Mohsin's jaffa rattles Rachin 🥵#LSGvCSK #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/NvQblsyLrL
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 19, 2024
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Rachin’s IPL 2024 journey: A rollercoaster Ride
Rachin secured his maiden IPL contract with the CSK for the ongoing season. Given the absence of his compatriot Devon Conway due to injury, Ravindra was entrusted with the role of opening the batting for CSK right from the outset.
His IPL 2024 journey commenced with promising innings of 37 and 46 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT), respectively, showcasing glimpses of his talent. Nevertheless, Rachin’s form with the bat has dwindled in subsequent matches. Following these notable performances, he encountered relatively modest outings, adding only 50 runs in next five games.
MS Dhoni’s late surge: A silver lining for CSK
After the dismissal of Rachin, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahane and CSK’s stalwart this season, Shivam Dube, also fell quickly. Nonetheless, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali provided stability and stitched together some crucial partnerships. Following Moeen’s departure, MS Dhoni entered the crease and unleashed a blistering 28 runs off just 9 deliveries, propelling Chennai’s score to 176/6.
LSG’s dominant chase: KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock shine
In response, LSG’s opening pair, Rahul and Quinton de Kock, put on a formidable partnership of 134 runs for the first wicket. Even after De Kock’s departure, Rahul continued to accumulate runs before eventually falling for 82. The victory for LSG was sealed with significant contributions from Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis, guiding their team to a comfortable 8-wicket win over CSK.