Ruturaj Gaikwad of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might be a major asset for Team India in the future, according to Aakash Chopra.
Gaikwad finished the IPL 2021 as the leading run-scorer, just beating out teammate CSK opener Faf du Plessis for the Orange Cap by two runs. In the current edition of the Indian Premier League, the Pune-born cricketer, who also won the Emerging Player award, accumulated 635 runs at an amazing average of 45.35 and an impressive strike rate of 136.26.
Aakash Chopra projected a bright future for Gaikwad after CSK’s batting performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last night.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad is CSK’s today and India’s tomorrow. I like this player a lot. It is the first time that the same player is the Emerging Player and the Orange Cap winner. He has just topped everything.” he said
Thus, Faf du Plessis, the former India opener, was also praised by the former India opener for rising to the occasion for CSK in the crucial final.
Faf du Plessis
“Faf du Plessis – cometh the hour, cometh the man. When the pressure is there, it is a final encounter and everything is on the line, you play a match-winning knock. Dinesh Karthik will still be feeling sad that if he had done the stumping, the things could have been different.” Chopra elaborated
When Du Plessis had only two runs on the board, Dinesh Karthik missed a stumping off Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling. To assist CSK set a mammoth 193-run target for KKR, the South African went on to play a match-winning 86-run knock of just 59 deliveries.
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