Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has showered praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad after the second ODI against South Africa at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur on Wednesday. Gaikwad scored a fine knock of 105 runs off just 83 balls while batting at number four.
The right-hander added 195 runs with Virat Kohli for the third wicket and played a key role in helping India post 358 runs on the board. Gaikwad scored a dozen fours and two sixes in his knock as he was able to hit the ground running. The CSK star timed the ball to perfection and looked fluent throughout his knock.
Pathan said Gaikwad was shoulder-to-shoulder with Virat Kohli, who scored another fine knock of 102 runs off 93 balls.
“It seemed like Ruturaj Gaikwad was shoulder to shoulder with Virat Kohli. Gaikwad’s running between the wickets was sensational. Kohli enjoyed batting with Gaikwad. Gaikwad failed in the first game and he got an opportunity again and seized it well. He has never batted at number four. He deserves praise for his chanceless batting. The biggest thing is he can play over covers against the left-arm spinner, he can play square cut against off-spinners, can play sweep against left-arm spinners, can play lap shot against spinners, can play pull off the back foot against both spinners and fast bowlers.”
“Finally, he can step out to spinners and play straight. The range of shots shows his potential as a batter. Gaikwad has seized his opportunity fully and hope he reigns supreme for a long time. The way he ran between the wickets and hit the century, it was shoulder to shoulder with Kohli. It was outstanding to see them bat together,” he added.
On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja scored 24 runs off 27 balls and he could not add the finishing touches. Pathan said Jadeja’s innings was disappointing from India’s point of view. KL Rahul scored another crucial knock, adding 66 runs off just 43 balls to help India post 358 runs on the board.
“KL Rahul’s finish was crucial otherwise India would have fallen even shorter. When I was commentating, I observed Ravindra Jadeja’s innings could put India in trouble and I felt that was the difference in the end. When the total is above 300 and almost everyone has scored at a strike rate of 100 and you have struck at 88, you have batted slow. It happens but Jadeja’s intent was disappointing. It could’ve been better. We anticipated things to be difficult if the ball gets wet. That’s why South Africa were cautious at the start. Jadeja’s innings was disappointing from India’s perspective,” Pathan said.
The third and final ODI between India and South Africa will be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, on Saturday.
