Skipper says he is lucky to have great players, staff and owners
CSG skipper Kaushik Gandhi (right) receives the TNPL winner’s cheque from MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin
Chennai:
“Do the rest of the teams compete in the Tamil Nadu Premier League to play against Chepauk Super Gillies in the final? Does it work that way as you keep winning titles?” a commentator asked CSG left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth following his side’s TNPL 2021 triumph at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday. The question didn’t come as a surprise though as Chepauk has qualified for the title decider in all but one season since the inception of the League in 2016.
While CSG was a force to reckon with in the first couple of years, it has become an unstoppable unit under the leadership of Kaushik Gandhi. The 30-year-old Kaushik, along with head coach Hemang Badani, has made the Chepauk race at a pace that the rest of the pack has failed to match up to. In an interaction with DT Next on Monday, Kaushik spoke about his successful two-year association with CSG, the franchise’s third TNPL victory, and the Season 5 final against Ruby Trichy Warriors.
EXCERPTS
How delighted are you after defending the Tamil Nadu Premier League title?
• I am very happy. We weren’t the favorite to win the title in the previous season in 2019. Even though we had the belief, we weren’t the strongest team on paper. We had to work really hard to go all the way. In TNPL 2021, we had the ‘favorite’ tag from the word go because of the strength of our squad. I think that it didn’t allow the boys to play freely. It was something we had to take care of. We managed to win the trophy this season despite not playing our best cricket. That is the way I look at it. I am really happy to be a champion. This is what we set out for when we picked the squad.
Ruby Trichy Warriors gave Chepauk Super Gillies a run for its money in the TNPL 2021 final on Sunday. What made you throw the ball to left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore for the decisive last over, where CSG had to defend 13 runs?
• I knew that Harish Kumar didn’t deliver his best. I luckily happened to have insurance over Sai Kishore. So, I had to fall on it when the situation demanded. In a game of cricket, one can never be in control of the situation all the time. If we had done better while fielding, the match would have panned out differently. But at the same time, Trichy played brilliantly and kept putting the pressure back on us. We held our nerve better than RTW in the last over. I must say that Sai Kishore bowled a great last over. It is not easy for a spinner to take the mantle and deliver when it matters, especially in a final.
Since moving to the franchise ahead of TNPL Season 4, you have led Super Gillies to back-to-back trophies in 2019 and 2021. How did you manage to achieve glory in consecutive campaigns – your first two years at CSG?
• I think that I am the luckiest captain in the TNPL. At CSG, we have supportive owners and coaching staff. I get a free hand to make my moves as a captain. I am happy that I repaid the trust they showed in me. I learned a lot as well. I would also say that none of the other franchises would be as supportive as Super Gillies.
Chepauk has reached four finals and clinched a record three TNPL titles, making it the most successful franchise in the League. What is the mantra behind the team’s stunning success?
• The toughest thing in cricket is to follow the same routines on a daily basis. The team needs to stay in the process each and every day while training. Whichever team does it the most number of times will be the most consistent. In every practice session, we maintain the same level of intensity and energy. The coaching staff makes sure the intensity never drops.
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