Ruturaj Gaikwad impressed all fans with his incredible knock of 88 runs in the first match of the second phase of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. Opening the innings for the Chennai Super Kings against the two-time defending champions Mumbai Indians, Gaikwad soaked in all the pressure and played a gem of an innings.
The Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first in the match against the Mumbai Indians. The Mumbai-based franchise did not have the services of their star players Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma available for the game. Still, the two-time defending champions got off a dream start, thanks to fiery opening spells from Trent Boult and Adam Milne.
Trent Boult and Adam Milne picked up four wickets in the first six overs
Stand-in skipper of the Mumbai Indians team Kieron Pollard decided to attack with his fast bowlers, and the two Kiwi fast bowlers Trent Boult and Adam Milne made sure that the CSK batters struggled in the middle. Faf du Plessis was the first CSK batter to lose his wicket. Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni followed him.
To make matters worse for the Chennai-based franchise, their star Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu got retired hurt. Trent Boult and Adam Milne looked in terrific touch as they had reduced the Chennai Super Kings to 7/3 after the first three overs of the match.
The Ruturaj Gaikwad show
Young Indian batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad showed great character and played a fighting knock for the Chennai Super Kings. The rising star of Indian cricket aggregated 88 runs off 58 deliveries and remained unbeaten till the end. His splendid batting performance took the Chennai Super Kings from 7/3 to 156/6 in 20 overs.
Experienced all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and DJ Bravo supported Gaikwad in the middle. To give a perfect ending to the innings, Gaikwad played an unbelievable sweep shot that went for a six. Notably, he smacked that shot off Jasprit Bumrah, who is considered the number one death bowler in India. Gaikwad’s innings helped the Chennai Super Kings attain the number one position on the standings. You can watch the video of that six right here:
— Simran (@CowCorner9) September 19, 2021
