Ruturaj Gaikwad has set the 2023 IPL season alight with his magnificent, classy and elegant with his 50-ball 92 against defending champions Gujarat Titans in the season opener at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Gaikwad’s heroics with the bat couldn’t help his team Chennai Super Kings get over the line against Gujarat Titans. The four-time champions lost to Hardik Pandya’s side by 5 wickets. Shubman Gill scored a match-winning 63 runs in 36 balls as Gujarat Titans reach the target of 179 set by CSK in 19.2 overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was truly a stand-out performer. His timing was magnificent throughout his innings and he played some eye-pleasing shots entertaining 1,00,000 audiences on the ground.
The right-hander displayed his range of six-hitting against the defending champions. He smashed 9 sixes in his 92-run knock. Gaikwad missed out on a well-deserved hundred as he looked dejected after getting dismissed by Alzarri Joseph.
He missed out on the opportunity of becoming the 2nd player to score a hundred in the opening game of an IPL season. The only player to have scored a hundred in the opening game is Brendon McCullum.
In the post-match analysis former West Indian captain and legend of IPL cricket the “Universe Boss” Chris Gayle commented on Gaikwad’s performance.
“Yeah, he set the IPL alight tonight. Gaikwad was striking it cleanly. He deserved a hundred, definitely. He batted really well. It was unfortunate he didn’t get a hundred. The two youngsters Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad batted really well,” Gayle told Jio Cinema in the post match analysis.
Anil Kumble Comments on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Insane Six Hitting
Former Indian legendary leg spinner has words of praise for the young Indian batter. Kumble was impressed by Ruturaj Gaikwad’s clean striking of the ball without losing his shape.
“It’s a big, big number. It was probably my entire career, 9 sixes in a career. Ruturaj, you don’t associate him with six-hitting, but it looked clean, really clean. It was not like he was going out of shape, he was not trying to muscle it,” Kumble said.
The fans were excited and entertained by Gaikwad’s magical innings. He will look to continue his form as Chennai Super Kings face Lucknow Super Giants on their home ground at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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