Video of Ruturaj Gaikwad 80 in 54 Balls : Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021

Maharashtra vs Punjab, Elite, Group A, Lucknow, Nov 5 2021, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Match Result: Maharashtra won by 7 wickets (with 15 balls remaining)

A bad toss to lose. 190 was a good score, and the dew made it flat, and the ball started coming on well. You needed to bat well, and they did that, and put pressure on the bowlers. They just took the game away in the first 6 overs. 250 would’ve been closer to par (Warning: sarcasm), given the way they were going.

It was stopping a bit when their wristspinners were bowling, and it started coming on better later, that’s when Ruturaj capitalised really well. Often when you lose the game it can get brushed under the carpet but it was a brilliant innings. I think the batsmen must assess quickly what is a good score, and you tend to go hard in the T20 format and then realise that it’s not a 160-180 wicket.

They assessed the conditions quickly, and they didn’t let pressure get to the middle order. Deepak was really good with the new ball in earlier games, and we did miss him, because today the bowlers were under the pump.

We are aware of the abilities of the people we have in our batting line-up. That’s why it’s disappointing when we lose. The wicket was behaving really well in the last 3-4 overs, so we knew it’d be much better in the second innings. We just wanted to back ourselves. I am happy I guessed it (pitch getting better in the second innings) right.

They (openers) have been giving good starts, they almost finished off the game in the powerplay. They were going for the kill. Very happy for young Jaiswal, he’s played really well throughout the tournament, we are very sure he’ll make it big. (Secret behind Jaiswal’s power) He keeps on eating (laughs). We have been discussing about Dube from the last 2-3 games.

We thought today might be his day. He has been working hard in the nets, very happy for him. Unbelievable batting by Gaikwad. We are really afraid of a batsman like him. Plays a lot of cricketing shots, there’s no risk the way he plays. We need to respect those type of batsmen. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad: “It was a slow wicket at the start and slightly damp, as the game progressed it got better. It was important for one of the batters to stay till the 14th or 15th over. I didn’t manage to do it in the last few games thankfully it happened today.

I am working on timing the ball really well and trying to maintain my shape. It has worked for me for many years. Right from when I started playing cricket, I have relied on timing. Today also I relied on timing and thankfully it is coming off.

My selection in the CSK team in 2019 where I didn’t get a chance to play, being in the dressing room I got to learn a lot. I got to know some routines, I got to know what hard work to go through, it was a very good learning curve for me. That one thing really helped me a lot.”