Chennai Super Kings batsman Faf du Plessus compared Ruturaj Gaikwad to Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, saying that pressure doesn’t really get to the youngster. Gaikwad starred with the bat once again as CSK closed off their IPL 2020 campaign with a nine-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab on Sunday (November 1). Gaikwad ended the innings unbeaten on 62 off 49 balls, following up on scores of 65 not out and 72 in the last two matches, and helped CSK chase down a target of 154 with nine wickets and nearly two overs to spare at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
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“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," Du Plessis said after the match.
Du Plessis himself was close to getting a half-century but was dismissed when he went for a scoop shot off Chris Jordan that went to KL Rahul behind the stumps.
“That scoop is the shot I play often and quite bummed that I couldn’t get it but pleased for us to finish the season with a win," he said when asked of his choice of shot selection.
The former South African skipper also played down any talks of him potentially retiring from IPL cricket, saying that he has at least five more years left in him at the top.
Also Read: Kings XI Punjab’s Campaign Ends With 9-Wicket Loss to Chennai Super Kings
“I am still loving it. I have got a lot of cricket left in me, at least five years."
Earlier in the first innings, Deepak Hooda cracked an unbeaten 62 off 30 balls to take KXIP to a competitive 153/6. Hooda, 25, walked in after Chris Gayle’s dismissal left KXIP tottering at 72/4 in the 12th over.
He went on the attack straightaway, scoring most of the runs in a 36-run stand with Mandeep Singh for the fifth wicket. Chris Jordan later stuck with him and the pair put up 40 runs for the seventh wicket, 34 off which was scored by Hooda off just 12 balls. He hit three fours and four sixes in his innings.
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