Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad notched up a magnificent ton as Chennai Super Kings scored an imposing 189 for four against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. The Maharashtra top-order batsman hit nine fours and five sixes in his 60-ball 101, notching up his maiden IPL ton in Abu Dhabi.
In the final over of the innings, Ravindra Jadeja faced four deliveries, leaving Gaikwad with two deliveries and he pulled Mustafizur Rahman off the final delivery to reach the milestone.
The 24-year-old Gaikwad's sequence of scores since the resumption of IPL is 88, 38, 30, 45 and now 101 not out. He also surpassed KL Rahul in the Orange Cap list of IPL 2021. Gaikwad is currently at the top of the pile with 508 runs in 12 games.
Gaikwad also became the youngest Chennai player (24y 244d) to score an IPL ton. Overall, he is the ninth Chennai player to have an IPL century under his belt.
Twitter was massively impressed with Gaikwad's elegant show, with the cricket fraternity heaping praise on the youngster. En route his ton, he produced some majestic shots in the offside region, showing glimpses of his ability and touch.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag feels Gaikwad is a "special" player made for "greater things". Ex-India cricketers Irfan Pathan and Aakash Chopra also lauded the Punekar's batting masterclass against the Royals.
Here's how Twitter reacted to Ruturaj Gaikwad show in Abu Dhabi
