WATCH: Irresistible Ruturaj Gaikwad pulls off ridiculous sweep for six off Bumrah’s yorker

Ruturaj Gaikwad may not be far ahead in contention to be India’s next opener across any of the formats, but this knock against the Mumbai Indians in match 30 of the Indian Premier League will earn him a giant leap in the race. In dire circumstances, despite watching some of the best senior players struggle to get bat on ball, Gaikwad chipped in with a knock of a lifetime for the Chennai Super Kings to get them out of trouble.

Ruturaj chips in with a 58-ball 88 to power CSK to a 158-run total.

To finish off what was a sensational knock, Ruturaj played arguably the shot of the game off his senior Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah. He had already played a delightful shot over covers for a boundary that over and off the final ball of the innings, he got on his knees and smoked a huge six over backward-square.

Despite being one of the most difficult shots to pull off against pacers, the ease with which the 24-year-old found such a sweet connection got everyone’s jaws dropped. This was reminiscent of the times when AB de Villiers would go on his knees to smack the fastest of bowlers behind square on the leg side for sixes.

Here’s that outrageous shot by the youngster

 

Ruturaj Gaikwad saves Chennai’s day

Chennai were struggling to get runs in the first quarter of the game and had given away full control of the game within no time. Adam Milne and Trent Boult destroyed their top order, leaving them disgruntled at 7/3 in 3 overs. In addition to that, Ambati Rayudu was hit by a bouncer and walked back retired hurt. He managed to withstand the initial storm before starting to take his chances, all worked out as wonderfully as one can hope to.

Also Read: IPL 2021: RCB vs KKR Game Plan — The Game of Entry Points

Amidst all this chaos, Ruturaj maintained his composure and played a sensational knock. His exploits helped Chennai muster 108 runs off the last 9 overs, as the youngster finished with an unbeaten 58-ball 88.