Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman, has said that he and Faf du Plessis complement each other really well, and they know how to work well as a batting partnership.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu played knocks of 38 and 32, respectively, as CSK chased 157 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with six wickets in hand. With this win, the MS Dhoni-led outfit went to the top of the table. Faf du Plessis also got among the runs as he scored 31.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Opens Up On His Partnership With Faf du Plessis: ‘We Complement Each Other Well’
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has told that he and his opening partner Faf du Plessis knows which opposition bowler to go after and when is the right time to attack.
“I was very happy when we won the last match, happy with this one as well. The opening partnership is always important, the new ball was coming onto the bat, we just had to play good cricketing shots,” Ruturaj Gaikwad told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game.
“We complement each other well (on his partnership with Faf du Plessis), we know when to attack and which bowler to go after, that’s what is working well for us. Just try and be consistent, just contribute for the team, whatever you can do for the team, that’s important,” Ruturaj HGaikwad added.
Earlier, RCB openers Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli scored 70 and 53 respectively to help RCB post 156/6 in the allotted twenty overs. Both openers shared a stand of 111 runs for the first wicket, but CSK all-rounder Dwayne Bravo’s spell of 3-24 helped CSK restrict RCB under the 160-run mark. CSK will next square off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL on Sunday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Dwayne Bravo’s 3/24 Helped CSK Restrict RCB Under 160
From 111 for 0 in 13 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore could manage only a below-par 156 for 6. If it was a ridiculous batting meltdown in the first game of the restart where they were shot out for only 92 onboard against KKR, they were hampered by a middle-order meltdown in their next match against CSK. From 111 for 0 in 13 overs, they ended with a below-par 156 for 6, and then let the loss in momentum boil over on the field.
AB de Villers came in at the No. 3 spot upon Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the 14th over to Dwayne Bravo and found run-scoring difficult. After Virat Kohli was sent back, Shardul Thakur dismissed AB de Villiers (12) and Devdutt Padikkal (70) in quick succession and brought CSK back into the game. Then, Dwayne Bravo removed RCB all-rounders Glenn Maxwell (11) and Harshal Patel (3).
Dwayne Bravo kept denying Glenn Maxwell, who struggled for timing and eventually snuffed him out by bowling slow and away from his hitting arc. However, the mastery over his slower variations was all too evident as he finished with 3 for 24. With this win, the MS Dhoni-led outfit went to the top of the table. CSK restricted RCB to 156/6 in their 20 overs, which was a below-par total considering RCB was very comfortably placed at 111/0 in 13.1 overs.