Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings opener, played an impressive inning of 92 off 50 balls with four boundaries and nine maximums in the opening match of the IPL 2023. Despite his best efforts, however, his team ultimately lost to Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31. The impressive knock was overshadowed by Shubman Gill’s 63 off 36-balls which guided the Titans to their five-wicket victory. This is not the first time Ruturaj Gaikwad’s performance had gone unrewarded, although he was looking good for a hundred when Alzarri Joseph dismissed him. Here, we will look at three similar instances in the past:
3) 53 off 49 against GT in Mumbai, 2022
CSK’s Ruturaj Gaikwad was the top scorer of match 62 in the IPL 2022 when they visited the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to face the Gujarat Titans. After the early departure of Devon Conway (five), he and Moeen Ali (21 off 17) put together a 57-run partnership to bring back some stability. After taking his time, with just four fours and a six, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 53 off 49 balls. Overall, Gaikwad was able to maintain composure and make an invaluable contribution to his team.
2) 73 0ff 48 against GT in Pune, 2022
CSK posted a total of 169/5 in match number 29 of the IPL 2022 in Pune, thanks to 73 runs off 48 balls by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Uthappa (three) was lbw by Shami, and Moeen (one) was bowled by Joseph. Ambati Rayudu (46 off 31) and Gaikwad combined for a 92-run partnership for the third wicket. Gaikwad hit five fours and five sixes during his innings. Chasing 170, Gujarat collapsed early and were down to 87/5 before David Miller (94* off 51) and Rashid (40 off 21) powered them to a three-wicket victory.
1) 101* off 60 against RR in Abu Dhabi, 2021
Despite the spectacular century from Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fell to the Rajasthan Royals in the 47th match of IPL 2021. Gaikwad’s 101 off 60 balls included nine fours and five sixes, leading CSK to a formidable score of 189/4 in 20 overs. Despite this total, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 50 off 21 and Shivam Dube’s 64 off 42 propelled Rajasthan to victory in 17.3 overs, securing the win with seven wickets in hand.
