SRH’s Umran Malik was fiery till then. He was roaring with his impeccable pace and form. With a handful of wickets and extraordinary pace, Umran happened to bowl against the not-so-good-in form Ruturaj Gaikwad on match 46 of IPL 2022. But what happened was extremely the opposite of what we all expected. Ruturaj showed how classy one could put off Umran’s fire. Ruturaj made most of his start and notched up a stellar 97 off 57 balls batting with unstoppable Devon Conway. The duo has put up a record opening partnership in IPL. This innings of Ruturaj had lit up the winning chances for CSK and is a part of our list of classic performers in the IPL 2022 season.
On that night, the quick hands of Ruturaj Gaikwad got his blade under the ball more efficiently. The quick hands’ factor is something that is possessed by only a few players in international cricket. Brendon McCullum is one among them who can awe-struck the bowlers with this exceptional skill. But Ruturaj is a step higher; he uses the bat speed for perfect cricketing shots. The marriage of quick hands and timing makes the Ruturaj’s strokes divine.
Earlier in this IPL season, Ruturaj wasn’t completing his shuffle properly. The front foot press he usually makes during the shuffle became slower, which led to his downfall. But on that particular night against SRH, he was finding back the vibe he used to have in the last season of IPL. The front foot press of his shuffle was on point, which made him ready for the ball a little earlier.
You can watch the stellar innings here.
What’s more fascinating about Ruturaj is his temperament. He waits for the bowlers to come into his line while converting the oddballs into singles and twos. Above all, his hard hands never let the bat turn while connecting the ball, which propels the ball even faster.
IPL gets high octane entertainment when technically sound players get their flow. Those two lofted straight drives of Ruturaj against Umran showcased how pleasing the cricketing shots are. For cricketing folklore, Ruturaj Gaikwad is undoubtedly a package of batting.
Read now: The Importance of Powerplay Overs in IPL
