After his team’s resounding 69-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) Faf du Plessis on Sunday (April 25) hailed Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying he is a fantastic player who has got a bright future ahead of him.
Opening the innings, the duo of Du Plessis (50 off 41 balls) and Gaikwad (33 of 25 balls) shared a 74-run partnership to lead the foundation of CSK’s mammoth 191/4 in 20 overs.
In response, Super Kings restricted RCB to 122/9 in their allotted 20 overs and registered their fourth win in five games this season.
"We have got such a long batting line-up but all you need is a start in any format you play. So, myself and Ruturaj enjoyed the partnership, we complement each other really well. He's a fantastic player, he has got a bright future ahead of him. Times the ball so beautifully," Du Plessis said in the virtual post-match press conference.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja put on a show with the bat and ball in CSK’s thumping victory, which also took them to the top of the points table.
Batting at No. 5, Jadeja smashed 62 not out off 28 deliveries and then returned with the bowling figures of 3-13 in his four overs.
"It was really good. Obviously, Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) has been playing very well this season. His batting has improved a lot. He has become a very consistent performer with the bat for us. What happened in the last over was no fluke. Jaddu trains well. He hits a lot of sixes in practice. It was a huge momentum shift. Up until that point, it was a par score. We were on 160-165, but the great hitting towards the end made it probably a bit too much for the opposition on a slow wicket," the former South African skipper added.
Jadeja also affected a run-out with a direct hit to send Dan Christian back to the pavilion and deservedly earned the Player-of-the-Match award.
Hailing his fielding brilliance, Du Plessis said: "I have always thought playing against Jaddu that he's is the most dangerous fielder. When South Africa play against India, we always talk about being careful when running twos to Jadeja on the boundary because he has got an absolute cannon of an arm. He is diving around; he is stopping the balls. He is really leading from the front in that department. To be so accurate in the 30-yard circle is a great skill to have. Not a lot of people can hit the stumps as consistently as he does. He's really enjoying his cricket at the moment. When a guy is oozing confidence like that, it is a great asset to have in your team."
Talking about his scoop shot, he said, "It's (scoop) the shot I really enjoy playing. I do practice it and I feel like I need a lot of balls into that area. Obviously, teams are smart and move around with it. But it's important to me that my game plan evolves so that I can score in different areas not just rely on one option."
"For me, my focus now moves onto the T20 cricket. I have decided to play as much T20 cricket as possible. Trying to play in few tournaments around the world. The 2023 ODI World Cup is a long way and obviously two years in a row of T20 cricket, I wanna make sure that I give myself the best opportunity. For now, IPL is the focus," Du Plessis further remarked.
Chennai Super Kings will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match on Wednesday (April 28) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
(With ANI inputs)
