It is very rare that a Glenn Maxwell century gets overshadowed. But cricket is always a game of glorious uncertainties. Ruturaj Gaikwad overshadowed a certain ‘Big Show’ by playing proper T20 cricket.
The CSK superstar ended up scoring 123 runs off just 57 balls and is the talk of the town. Stand-in-captain Suryakumar Yadav was dumbfounded when quizzed about Gaikwad. Surya described the India opener as a special player.
“Fantastic. I mean, the way Ruturaj batted after I got out, he took the inning deep. I’ve always said during franchise cricket as well, that he is a special player. And the way he batted, he showed it, but yeah, at the end. Very proud of my boys,” Suryakumar added.
It was a typical Gaikwad innings at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. At one stage, the 26-year-old was 21 off 21 balls. But his next 102 runs came off just 36 balls. In between all these, Gaikwad also saw wickets losing at the other end.
Despite that, the stylish batter mixed caution with aggression and went onto bat deep. Once settled, Gaikwad displayed a wide range of shots and enthralled the Guwahati crowd.
Also Read
- IND vs AUS T20I series all you need to know
- ‘Other 9 Teams will not leave you,’ Nehra warns KKR regarding Rinku Singh
- VVS likely to be next India head coach as Dravid ‘not keen’
- BIG Bucks calling! Rahul Dravid likely to return in IPL
Gaikwad showcases wide range of shots with orthodox T20 cricket
The CSK opener’s century was still not enough as Maxwell powered Australia to a nail-biting win in the third T20I. However, Gaikwad the T20I batter has arrived in international stage. Finally, the CSK star is translating his IPL success at international level. The India opener is also doing so by playing proper T20 cricket without slogging.
Meanwhile, this win has enabled Australia to be alive in the series, with two T20Is yet to be played. India are still leading the five-match T20 series 2-1. The Men in Blue will also be bolstered by the return of Shreyas Iyer in the fourth and fifth T20Is. The 28-year-old will be taking vice-captaincy from Gaikwad. The fourth T20I will be played on Friday (December 1).