Salman Butt, the former tainted Pakistan opener, was in awe of Chennai Super Kings sensation opener Ruturaj Gaikwad following his maiden T20 hundred. Ruturaj Gaikwad lit up Abu Dhabi on Saturday by scoring a scintillating ton against the Rajasthan Royals, but his unbeaten 101 went in vain.
Ruturaj Gaikwad reached his century on the last ball of the 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.
Salman Butt hailed Ruturaj Gaikwad’s game awareness and his ability to combat pressure. Salman Butt feels the youngster’s game is simple and risk-free as he avoids reckless shots and sets himself up before unleashing carnage.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad is a natural talent. But the mental and technical development and the game awareness is outstanding as he absorbs the pressure during difficult phases. There are players if they don’t hit boundaries for 3-4 deliveries, they begin taking a risk or play reckless shots.
“But Ruturaj Gaikwad is different as he puts away the bad balls and doesn’t come under pressure if otherwise. When set, he starts converting the aerial shots from grounded ones,” said Salman Butt.
The 24-year old’s knock contained five sixes and seven fours; however, it went in vain. The Rajasthan Royals chased down 190 with more than two overs and seven wickets to spare. Shivam Dube top-scored with 64*. Rajasthan Royals chased down a mammoth target of 190 runs against Chennai Super Kings as youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube took the 2008 Champions home with 15 balls to spare.
Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed a maiden IPL ton in the first innings but still, it wasn’t enough for the 3-time champions to get them over the finishing line. 19-year old Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his maiden 50 in the run chase and played a brilliant inning under pressure. Chennai and Delhi have already qualified for the playoffs, while Rajasthan is at the 6th spot with 10 points. 3rd placed RCB has 14 points while 4 teams- KKR, PBKS, RR, and MI have 10 points each.
Salman Butt: Ruturaj Gaikwad Plays Risk-Free Cricket
Salman Butt further claimed Ruturaj Gaikwad is amazing to watch and maintains a healthy strike rate despite playing risk-free cricket. The former Pakistan captain Salman Butt lauded the youngster for adapting well to the format and not playing slam-bang cricket.
“He is also beautiful to watch and is old school as compared to most modern-day players. Gaikwad struck at 160 to 170, but he plays risk-free cricket. Hence, it’s a great quality for a batsman to have the temperament in a T20 game by respecting the good balls and playing your shots when set.
“His adaptability in this format with a proper technique is outstanding and unlike most new players, Gaikwad plays proper cricketing shots,” said Salman Butt.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 508 runs in IPL 2021 at 50.80 have enabled him to top the run-scoring charts. But despite losing, the Chennai Super Kings maintained their first position in the points table and also became the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad also bagged the Orange Cap from Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul, becoming the first batsman in IPL 2021 to get to 500 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad now has 508 runs in 12 matches at an average of over 50 and a strike rate over 140. But Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 50 and Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 64 saw Rajasthan reach 190 in the 18th over.