It Did Hurt Not To Be Part Of The Squad That Flew At First: Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad was once again in the scheme of things, shining to end Chennai Super Kings’ campaign on a high and knocking Kings XI Punjab out of IPL 2020. Third Umpire Chris Gaffaney gave him a reprieve that most experts perceive as controversial at somewhat the halfway stage and Ruturaj Gaikwad took it to complete the chase of 154 with nine wickets to spare. The 23-year old conceded that it was an exciting feeling to play alongside some big names.

MS Dhoni won the toss in Abu Dhabi and sent Kings XI Punjab to bat. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal got their side off to a reasonably electric start; however, they lost both of them without substantial scores and the likes of Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran cheaply. Deepak Hooda was the lone warrior as his unbeaten 30-ball 62 drove them to a competitive 153 in 20 overs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf Du Plessis began the chase positively as they both added 82 for the first wicket, cutting down half the target. Even though Kings XI Punjab kept the pressure coming after Du Plessis’ departure, Ambati Rayudu and Gaikwad kept their cool and drove the Super Kings home for the sixth victory of the season. Gaikwad finished with an unbeaten 62 while Rayudu remained not out at a run-a-ball 30.

“I was confident coming in for IPL 2020” : Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who brought up his third consecutive half-century, underlined his confidence coming in for the tournament based on his domestic season. The 23-year old had the responsibility of playing an anchor for his first-class side as well and hurt not to be part of the first few games and the initial squad; however, the management was supportive. He concluded by saying that he felt over the moon to be around some massive international names.

“I was confident coming in [based on the last domestic season]. Even in club games, even for Maharashtra, I’ve to play the anchor and take the team to the end. It did hurt not to be part of the squad that flew at first and miss the first few games, but the management and team was supportive. First one or two games it was surreal to be around some of the big names,” Gaikwa told in the post-match presentation.

Also Read: IPL 2020: Watching Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting Bat Together – Is A Memory To Cherish For Rohit Sharma