Video of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s six to reach 100 : IPL 2021

Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 02 October 2021, 7:30 PM IST

CSK score 189/4 in their 20 overs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s century : Ruturaj is now the orange cap holder and he hit his first IPL century today, reaching there with a SIX ! Personal milestones aren’t as important as team goals but you’ve got to say that Ruturaj deserved this hundred.

This was a phenomenal batting masterclass and poetic justice that the innings ends with a Gaikwad sixer. He shuffled across early, got the shortish length ball that he hit over deep mid-wicket. The entire CSK dugout was on their feet, the non-striker batter Jadeja hugging him immediately.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s hundred
– Ninth in IPL for CSK
– Youngest for CSK (24y 244d)
– Seventh in IPL vs RR
– Third for CSK vs RR after M Vijay (2010) and Shane Watson (2018)

CSK finish with the highest score by any team in UAE phase

That’s some finish from CSK and they have ended with a challenging total. It was an exhibition of classical ball-striking from Gaikwad who tore into the RR bowlers after a very steady start initially. He kept peppering the field and toyed with the bowling with a plethora of jaw-dropping shots.

His partnerships with Faf and Moeen set the base, and then Jadeja did what he does best these days – finish on a high. 73 came off the last five overs as the RR bowlers got pasted around the park. Nobody was spared really and got beaten for weak balls. The pitch wasn’t really as good as Gaikwad made it seem although the deck did seem to get a bit better as the innings progressed.

Chennai Super Kings were 83 for 2 at the end of 12 overs. What we witnessed after that was absolute chaos. But not of the kind you see from Gayle or Russell. This was Gaikwad painting a pretty masterpiece, full of orthodoxy and class. It was such a joy to watch. Rajasthan Royals have a tall ask to remain in contention. Don’t go too far away.

Ruturaj Gaikwad talks about his batting display

“I think the wicket was holding a bit initially, the fast bowlers were bowling really well. The plan was if I could bat till 13-14 overs, i could capitalise later. I’m looking to just time the ball and hold my shape, I wasn’t looking to hit big.

We were looking for 160, then i thought 170, then why not 180, and finally we got 190. I timed the ball really well, the short boundary on the leg side meant I knew it was six off the last ball.”

A quick look at the scenarios

For RR A win will keep them in the contention as 14 points could lead to qualification without NRR coming into play. Even with 12 points, Royals could go through as the fourth team if KKR, PBKS and MI lose all their remaining games and stay on 10 points each. That, though, is an unlikely scenario and in this case, RR’s destiny will depend in other player’s hands. If it comes down to NRR, Royals will struggle as their rate is the worst among the teams in contention.

For CSK

A win will almost ensure a top-two finish. Currently, it’s possible for three teams to finish on 20 or more points, but CSK’s NRR of 1.002 is so far ahead of RCB’s -0.200 that it is almost impossible for CSK to fall behind. Even if RCB win each of their last three matches by 40 runs (after scoring 160), their NRR will only improve to 0.29. Thus, a win here will pretty much make sure that CSK finish in the top two.