Former cricketer Aakash Chopra hailed Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for his spectacular knock against the Gujarat Giants on Friday, March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the 2023 Indian Premier League. He expressed that the right-handed batter showed glimpses of genius during his knock.
Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed 92 runs off just 50 deliveries, with four boundaries and nine sixes at a strike rate of 184. With this knock, he registered the first fifty of the 2023 Indian Premier League season. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra was all praise for the Chennai Super Kings batter in a video shared on his Youtube channel. He said,
“Chennai’s prince showed in this knock that the guy has the might. He showed glimpses of genius. The pitch was looking slightly spongy. Devon Conway got out at the start but Ruturaj batted differently.”
“All sixes with cricketing shots – straight down the ground, flicks and pulls. He was absolutely sublime. If you score 92 runs in a total of less than 180, which means you have scored more than 50% of the runs on a pitch where everyone was struggling slightly and going at a run-a-ball, wow Ruturaj,” he added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was absolutely outstanding: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra further showered praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad for going all guns blazing in the first game of the 2023 Indian Premier League. He expressed that the opener had a problem of not starting well, but he has overcome that this season. Aakash Chopra said in his Youtube video,
“There used to be a starting problem. In the first three matches in the last three years, nine matches in all, he hadn’t scored a total of 100 runs, but here he missed a hundred by just eight runs. He was absolutely outstanding.”
Along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni also set the stage on fire at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He smashed fourteen runs from seven deliveries, with a boundary and a six. Talking about MS Dhoni’s knock, Aakash Chopra said,
“It seemed this team might not reach close to 180 but Dhoni came and shone. That’s the way, Mahi way. He hit very well – a six and then a four off Joshua Little. 14 runs off seven balls – he is now just seven runs short of 5000 runs in this tournament.”
The Chennai Super Kings put on 178 runs on the board batting first in the opening clash against the Gujarat Titans. In response, the hosts chased it down with five wickets to spare on the back of Shubman Gill’s 63 runs knock. Rashid Khan won the Player of the Match. He took two wickets and played a match-winning cameo of 10 runs off just three deliveries.
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