Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was the Player of the Match in his team’s win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing IPL 2022 the other night and during a chat after the match, took a funny dig at former CSK opening partner Faf du Plessis.
Gaikwad, who had struggled to find form in the first half of the tournament, hit 99 off 57 deliveries to set up a comfortable win for the yellow army. With MS Dhoni back at the helm of CSK affairs, the franchise registered its third win of the season to stay alive in the playoffs race.
While Ruturaj took the attack to the SRH bowlers, his fellow opener Devon Conway played the anchor’s role making 85*. The duo added 182 runs for the opening wicket, a record partnership for the CSK franchise in IPL.
The previous best stand for Chennai was 181 between openers Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson against Punjab Kings in the IPL 2020 season.
Ruturaj, who took home the player-of-the-match award, didn't miss the chance to poke fun at his former opening partner Faf du Plessis during a chat with CSK TV and said: "I think Faf would be jealous a little bit. But it's okay. It feels really nice to have the record."
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"In powerplay, we didn't start off well but I kept telling him that we are in and after that, it's going to be pretty much easy for us to get going. I reminded him the wicket is slightly tough and we both carry on as long as we want. He also showed great courage to take on the bowlers. Very happy for him because he was eager to perform for this lovely franchise," said Ruturaj about his partnership with Conway.
The young batter also shared that his parents were present in the stands to watch his innings. He thanked them for their constant support and hoped that he's made them proud.
"It's really special. I can't put it in words. They don't come and see my matches. But I wanted to come and experience the atmosphere, experience the CSK thing. Obviously, they don't come with any expectation of me scoring. I know it might be playing in their minds, but I am really thankful to god and thankful to them for supporting me. I hope I have made them proud. Thankfully, I gave my best," he said.
