Sehwag made his comment during the mid-innings show on CricBuzz live after Gaikwad smashed a classy 58-ball 88* in the opening game of the second phase of IPL 2021 against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Hailing Gaikwad’s knock as a combination of responsible batting and smartly calculated assault, Sehwag said:
Gaikwad’s knock came at a time when CSK were reduced to 24/4 in the first powerplay courtesy of a relentless pace onslaught by the New Zealand seam-bowling duo of Trent Boult and Adam Milne.
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Ruturaj Gaikwad’s smart assault propelled CSK to 156/6
Sehwag further added that playing risk-free shots allowed Ruturaj to maintain his consistency.
Gaikwad has perennially been a slow starter in the IPL but on Sunday, the right-hander didn’t look rusty in the opening game against the defending champions as he launched a stunning display of stroke play across all corners of the Dubai International Stadium.
He did get a lucky reprieve at the score of 19 when Quinton de Kock dropped a simple catch off the bowling of Rahul Chahar. The young opener proceeded to cash-in big time as he greeted one and all with some gorgeous strokes.
Inside-out cover-drives, slog sweeps against both pacers and spinners, straight-drives, square-cuts and lofted drives over the bowler’s head, Gaikwad’s innings had it all.
The right-hander smashed his fourth consecutive half-century in the UAE and his unbeaten 88 and a brisk cameo from Dwayne Bravo [23 off 8 balls] lifted CSK to 156.
Gaikwad’s knock proved to be a match-winning one as an all-round skilled bowling display by CSK ensured that MI fell way short of their target of 15
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