Ruturaj Gaikwad began the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) innings on Saturday with a textbook straight drive that raced along the ground to the boundary. He ended it with a thump that sailed over midwicket while needing five for his maiden IPL century.
Sandwiched between them was a full range of Gaikwad’s shot-making: using his wrists for inside-out boundaries over cover off leg-spinners, and his feet to deposit them straight back. His balance for lofted drives over mid-off against left-arm pace and power to pull too stood out.
Gaikwad’s 60-ball unbeaten 101 swelled CSK’s total to 189/4 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Abu Dhabi, the highest in the UAE leg of this IPL. A 21-ball 50 from fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone and Shivam Dube followed it up with 64 not out (42b) as RR chased it down with seven wickets and 15 balls to spare, thereby staying alive in the playoffs race.
If Gaikwad shifted gears steadily, Jaiswal started from the fifth. The Mumbai teen got an early reprieve when Ambati Rayudu spilled a skier in the second over off Josh Hazlewood. From thereon, he blazed away. The southpaw pulled anything that was even a fraction short and was equally aggressive on the fullish deliveries outside off, timing them over the infield. He was particularly severe on Hazlewood, slamming three sixes and four fours out of the 12 balls he faced from the Aussie.
{{/usCountry}}If Gaikwad shifted gears steadily, Jaiswal started from the fifth. The Mumbai teen got an early reprieve when Ambati Rayudu spilled a skier in the second over off Josh Hazlewood. From thereon, he blazed away. The southpaw pulled anything that was even a fraction short and was equally aggressive on the fullish deliveries outside off, timing them over the infield. He was particularly severe on Hazlewood, slamming three sixes and four fours out of the 12 balls he faced from the Aussie.
{{/usCountry}}Jaiswal brought up his half-century off 19 balls, and a 77-run opening stand with Evin Lewis (12-ball 27) off 32 as RR raced to 81/1 in the powerplay. Jaiswal gloved a short one from KM Asif to MS Dhoni first ball after the sixth over but with that start, all RR needed was for someone to ride the momentum. Dube—one of the five changes in the Royals playing XI—did that, his unbeaten knock seeing RR home with captain Sanju Samson, who held back for a mature 28.
Also mature was Gaikwad’s knock; his first 30 balls fetched 31 and the next 30 got 70. He trudged along against Royals’ triple left-arm pace attack in the 44-run powerplay, held the innings together after losing Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina fell to Rahul Tewatia, solidified it again with Moeen Ali and provided the late sparks with the in-form Ravindra Jadeja (15-ball 32*).
Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 189/4 in 20 overs (R Gaikwad 101*, R Jadeja 32*, R Tewatia 3/39) lost to Rajasthan Royals 190/3 in 17.3 overs (Y Jaiswal 50, S Dube 64*, S Thakur 2/30) by 7 wickets.