IPL 2020 | Always knew a knock was around the corner; feels good, states Ruturaj Gaikwad
Following a 51-ball 65*, CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has stated he always knew a knock like this was around the corner before admitting that he felt nice after the fifty. The opener also expressed that the pitch was slow and made him pro-active about picking particular bowlers to attack.
CSK continued to show their trust in the youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had a string of poor scores coming into the clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore. While his first game, which was against Rajasthan Royals resulted in him getting out for a nought, he followed the poor form with just five runs against Delhi Capitals in the middle-order. Once he opened the innings, he got off to a similar start, with a duck against Mumbai before the clash against RCB.
Chasing 146 against a good bowling attack, the start was always going to be crucial for the Men in Yellow, which is why Gaikwad’s innings came as a special bonus. The right-hander nonchalantly picked the gaps, slotted the bad deliveries for boundaries and made sure that he put a price on his wicket. In the end, he stayed unbeaten, taking CSK home to an eight-wicket victory.
In the post-match presentation, the Maharashtra batsman stated that he was quite confident in his abilities and opined that the knock was always around the corner. On the other end, he also expressed his happiness over the crucial innings, which has brought him back into the good light.
"It feels good. More importantly, winning the game for the team. And being not out in the end. It was tough for me going into quarantine for more days than the rest of the team because of COVID-19. I got support from everybody. I knew a knock was always around the corner. It was a little bit slow, but I was picking up the gaps. And I was pro-active to pick which bowlers to attack and which to not," said Gaikwad in the post-match presentation.
With two more games in the season, the opener would look to maintain his scoring rate, as Chennai Super Kings aim to end the season on a high, after the poor middle-period which brought them to the end of the table.