Sunil Gavaskar credits Virat Kohli’s role in Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden century in 2nd ODI against South Africa

Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar said veteran batter Virat Kohli played a key role in helping Ruturaj Gaikwad in the second ODI against South Africa at Raipur on Wednesday. Gavaskar highlighted that Kohli’s advice lifted Gaikwad in the second game.

Gaikwad was dismissed after scoring only eight runs in the opening ODI while batting at number four. However, the Maharashtra batter was able to grab his opportunity in the second ODI. The right-hander scored a brilliant knock of 105 runs off just 83 balls with the help of a dozen fours and two sixes. 

Gaikwad added 195 runs off 156 balls for the third wicket with Virat Kohli and helped India post 358 runs on the board.

Sunil Gavaskar said on India Today, “Ruturaj would have been nervous in his first match. He looked good earlier, and Brevis took a brilliant catch to dismiss him. Sometimes you start wondering if you’re not getting the slice of luck you need. Whatever Kohli told him, you could see it lifted him. Next ball, he played with so much confidence, right from the front foot. Sometimes it’s not just about what you score yourself; it’s also about how you help your partner score. That is crucial. Their running between the wickets was excellent too. For me, it was really nice to watch how a senior, experienced player was guiding and shepherding a young one.”

Meanwhile, Gaikwad looked in trouble when Marco Jansen bowled an accurate bouncer at him on the first ball he faced. However, Gavaskar noted that Kohli walked down the middle to have a word with Gaikwad to calm him down.

“The way he and Ruturaj built that partnership was wonderful. Ruturaj’s first ball was a tough one. The bouncer surprised him, a very good delivery from Jansen. He had dismissed Jaiswal off the previous ball, so he followed it up with another sharp bouncer to Ruturaj, and he somehow managed to get it away for four. After that, you could see Kohli immediately walk down the pitch to comfort him.”

Despite centuries from Kohli and Gaikwad, India suffered a four-wicket loss against the Proteas.

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.