Dubai: After registering a comprehensive nine-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday (November 1) Chennai Super Kings senior batsman Faf du Plessis is highly impressed with the 23-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad.
In the last three matches, Ruturaj has impressed many by scoring three vital fifties.
Praising the youngster Du Plessis also compared him to a young Virat Kohli. “He (Gaikwad) looks like a young Virat Kohli doesn’t he. What stands out for me the most is is his composure. Pressure situations don’t really get to him. That is always pleasing to see in a young guy and looks like he has a bright future,” he said after the match.
“What stands out for me is that he stands up to pressure. That’s the quality you look for in young players to see if they get to the next level,” added the former South Africa captain.
CSK skipper MS Dhoni too was full of praise for Ruturaj. “Whenever we have seen Rutu bat, he’s somebody who has done well in net sessions. But we were not able to see him in games. Then he got Covid, and even after 20 days he was not fit. He didn’t get time for us to gauge, that was one of the main reasons we kept going with Faf and Watson. It didn’t work. But that’s the point where you go with the experienced players,” Dhoni said.
Gaikwad, who had tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League in UAE, had to miss out on the first few games. The right-hander batsman turned things completely when he was permanently given the opener’s slot. In six games he scored 204 runs for CSK this season and will hope to continue next season at the same consistency when CSK will return to action.
