Follow UsBatting out of position? No problem.
Team in trouble? No problem, as Chennai Super Kings’ skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad put on a splendid show for West Zone in their semi-final clash against Central Zone, on September 4 (Thursday).
Batting first, West Zone found themselves in all sorts of trouble, at 4/1, when Khaleel Ahmed trapped the left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal plumb in front. Harvik Desai didn’t last too long either, as he got out to Deepak Chahar, bringing Gaikwad to the crease, with West Zone reeling at 10/2.
Gaikwad built a tidy 82-run partnership with Aarya Desai (39) to bail the team out of trouble briefly. Once Aarya was out, the focus shifted to Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer, as they were expected to take the West Zone to a safe score. However, Khaleel struck again to send Iyer back as Gaikwad showed his batting prowess.
After a lukewarm Buchi Babu Trophy 2025, the CSK skipper showed his strong form against a strong Central Zone side. The right-hander, on 121*, smashed 16 boundaries and batted with a healthy strike rate of 77.07, scoring strongly against the spinners, Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey.