Gaikwad left a sweet message for Du Plessis: In the glittering final that is in progress between Chennai and Kolkata at Dubai, another small contest was afoot too between the two Chennai openers, who have so far been the most successful batters in the tournament.
Ruturaj Gaikwad who got off to a blinder was looking in decent shape as he managed a 27-ball-32. He hammered three fours and a six and could have cemented his position at the top with a breezing continuation if Narine wouldn’t have played spoilsport.
A short glimpse of Gaikwad and du Plessis’ rivalry
As he got out, Gaikwad managed a scintillating 635 runs on the board of the table toppers and he claimed the ace. At that point in time it seemed highly unlikely for du Plessis to chase it down because the gap was mammoth.
However, things changed in the flash of an eye as the South African opener came out all guns blazing on the most important occasion as he scorched his way past the KKR bowlers with a 59-ball-86. This brought him within touching distance of Gaikwad as all he needed on the last ball was a couple of runs to claim the Orange cap.
Ideally, this is a shattering situation for a youngster who has put his blood and sweat into coming where he is today and missing out on the milestone by a slender margin could have been a denting heartbreak for him.
Fortunately for him, Shivam Mavi managed to claim his wicket on the last ball that stopped Du Plessis’ juggernaut by a paltry 2 runs. He managed to finish his campaign with 633 runs.
This is what the CSK youngster had to say about the South African opener
Ruturaj Gaikwad gave an overwhelmingly sweet response when he was asked by Harsha about his emotions before the last ball. He stated, “No I want him to hit a six so that team gets six extra runs.”
Harsha: Do you know Faf was one boundary away to win orange cap?
Ruturaj: No I want him to hit a six so that team gets six extra runs.
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) October 15, 2021
Chennai managed a decent score on the cards as they posted 192 with an exhilarating showdown from all the batters who came out to bat for them.
