When Glenn Maxwell ambled out to the crease in Australia’s chase in the third T20I of a five-game series, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 57-ball 123 garnered plenty of praise.
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 102 runs off the following 36 balls after a sluggish start of 21 (21) after ten overs, including a takedown of Maxwell in the penultimate over that provided 30 runs.
The Australian, on the other hand, can do no wrong, as he clocked up a hundred of his own to get Australia across the finish line.While this did detract from Ruturaj’s performance, his sluggish beginnings in limited-overs cricket, only to surge as the game progressed, are not unusual.
While his method has gotten varied reviews from experts, the truth is that he consistently converts his cautious starts into large scores. Let’s take a look at three occasions where he accelerated quickly after a poor start.
3. 17 (17) to 75 (44) vs SRH, IPL 2021
Unlike the Ruturaj Gaikwad we saw in IPL 2023, who went out all guns blazing in the powerplay, he was renowned for his cautious batting approach early on.
As a result, he ate up a lot of powerplay deliveries, occasionally causing problems for the club. However, it usually pays off, as it did against SRH in IPL 2021.
In the game in Delhi, SRH won the toss and opted to bat first, scoring 171-3. In response, Ruturaj Gaikwad had another sluggish start, finishing on 17 (17) at the conclusion of the powerplay, but thankfully for CSK, Faf du Plessis had accelerated enough to ensure that they didn’t feel the strain.
Ruturaj Gaikwad assumed over when the spinners were introduced. Ruturaj crushed Jagadeesha Suchith for six boundaries before taking on Rashid Khan in the same manner.
While the leg-spinner eventually dismissed Ruturaj, the damage had already been done, as CSK reached 129-1 in 13 overs, with Ruturaj smashing a 44-ball 75.
2. 22 (22) to 101 (60) vs RR, IPL 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first IPL hundred followed a pattern that was extremely familiar to him. RR sent CSK in to bat in Abu Dhabi, and because the wicket was a little tacky at first, batsmen were obliged to play conservatively, with Gaikwad on 22 (22) when Faf was out in the seventh over with the score at 48-1.
Wickets continued to fall at the other end, but about midway, Ruturaj challenged the bowlers. Moeen Ali supported him at the other end, and Gaikwad took on the RR spinners, blasting two sixes off Rahul Tewatia in the 14th over to set up his attack at the death.
Ruturaj Gaikwad didn’t earn enough strike thanks to Ravindra Jadeja’s 15-ball 32 late in the CSK innings. Despite this, he scored his first IPL century with a six off the last pitch of the innings.
Despite the fact that CSK lost despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s scorching half-century and Shivam Dube’s magnificent six-hitting game, Ruturaj was won the POTM award for his mature and beautiful batting display.
1. 18 (35) to 220 (159) vs UP, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022
Ruturaj Gaikwad made news when he hit seven sixes in an over off left-arm spinner Shiva Singh in the Vijay Hazare 2022 quarterfinal against Uttar Pradesh. While Maharashtra lost in the final, Ruturaj had a ball, amassing 660 runs in five games, including a double ton against UP.
He didn’t get off to a good start in this game, and retreated into a shell during the powerplay as the UP new ball bowlers were relentless in their precision. He was struggling at 18 (35) after 10 overs, but after biding his time in his partnership with Ankit Bawne, Ruturaj Gaikwad began speeding following Bawne’s removal in the 29th over.
He reached his century in the 38th over, off 109 balls, with a six from Shiva Singh. The boundary count gradually increased as the death overs progressed, but it wasn’t until the 49th over that he completely lit up the competition. A helpless Shiva Singh could only watch as Gaikwad smashed seven sixes in the over to surge from 165 (147) to 207 (154).
He concluded with 220 (159), a far cry from his early troubles at the crease. Despite Aryan Juyal’s 159, Maharashtra won by 58 runs with a total of 330-5.
