Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century during the Saturday of Chennai Super Kings’ defeat to Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2021 clash.
Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta praised the youngster’s brilliant unbeaten 101 off 60 balls and said that it was a great sign for more classical batsmen and said his innings proved that the shortest format of the game was not just for power-hitters.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Played Orthodox Shots Which Budding Cricketers Aspiring Should follow To Play All 3 Formats: Deep Dasgupta
Ruturaj Gaikwad reached his century on the last ball of the CSK innings by smacking his fifth six and finishing with an unbeaten 101. The right-handed batsman’s 60-ball ton propelled the Chennai Super Kings to 189/4 in stipulated 20 overs and earned him the orange cap for being the leading run-scorer in the league ahead of veterans KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Deep Dasgupta said on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s century: “It just tells you that this format is not only for power hitters. If you have the right technique and you know your game well enough, there are different ways of being successful in this format. And if you look at Ruturaj and the shots that he played, they are very orthodox cricketing shots.”
Deep Dasgupta noted that Ruturaj Gaikwad is a great exponent for orthodox batting, which will stand players in good stead in all three formats.
Deep Dasgupta added: “I guess success to batters like Ruturaj Gaikwad is that much more important because when you go to these coaching camps and look at youngsters, they are trying all these fancy shots, the lap and the reverse-lap and all. Then you see someone like Ruturaj, it’s like this is how you should be playing, because this would make sure that you’re not only successful in T20s but the other two formats as well.”
West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite also praised how Ruturaj Gaikwad constructed his innings, scoring 30 runs off his first 30 deliveries and 71 of his next 30.
Carlos Brathwaite said, “What was impressive is that in his first 30 balls, he was on 30. So going at run-a-ball just in and outside the powerplay, but then to have the confidence in your ability to step your game up.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s fine 101* helped CSK post 189 runs, which was the highest total in the UAE leg of IPL 2021. He had some support from Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali. Ravindra Jadeja then came in to provide ample firepower at the death with a 15-ball 32.
Rajasthan Royals Wins After Evin Lewis, Shivam Dube, And Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Heroics As Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Ton Goes In Vain
However, Rajasthan Royals started their chase with a blitzkrieg opening stand, with openers Yashaswi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis going on a rampage in the powerplay. Evin Lewis hit 27 off 12 deliveries before falling in the final over of the powerplay, as the Rajasthan Royals finished at 81/1 in their first six overs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal brought up his maiden IPL half-century off just 20 deliveries, before falling to Shardul Thakur off his next delivery in the seventh over. Shivam Dube carried on from where they left off and guided the Royals to a 7-wicket win.
Shivam Dube scored an unbeaten 64 off only 42 balls, studded with four boundaries and as many sixes. However, the defeat did not hurt CSK too much, as they had become the first team to secure a spot in the playoffs in IPL 2021.