Chennai Super Kings skipper Ravindra Jadeja wants his team to find ways to come back stronger even as he defended opener Ruturaj Gaikwad's poor form after his team's third successive defeat in the IPL.
After having lost to Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Supergiants in the first two games, CSK suffered a 54-run loss to Punjab Kings in Mumbai on Sunday.
"I think we lost too many wickets in the Powerplay and didn't find momentum from ball one. We need to find a way to come back stronger," Jadeja said after the match.
Asked if he has concerns about Gaikwad's form, the skipper said: "No, we need to give him confidence as we all know he is a very good player. I am sure he will come good."
He also praised all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has now scored back-to-back fifties.
"Dube has been batting well and I think keeping him in a good frame of mind is the key. We will try our best to work hard and come back stronger."
An ecstatic Punjab captian Mayank Agarwal was all praise for his teammates after a clinical show.
"I said nothing to Livingstone. Everyone holds their breath when he's batting," Agarwal said.
He also lavished praise on Vaibhav Arora who got two wickets for 21 runs.
"Vaibhav was with us a couple of years back and we saw the talent. KKR picked him up, but we wanted him because he's something different."
Agarwal attributed head coach Anil Kumble's eye for talent in finding hard-hitting batter Jitesh Sharma.
"With Jitesh, Anil bhai had seen him at Mumbai Indians. He has great intent and he's a fantastic keeper. The standout thing about him is his attitude. We will definitely look to play hard, positive cricket. We have to be emotionally intelligent if it doesn't come off," he said.
