By K Aditya
Abu Dhabi, Oct 2 (UNI) Table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) posted a huge 190-run target against Rajasthan Royals (RR) as Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a 60-ball 101* in the 47th match of the IPL, here on Saturday.
This was the 23-year-old opener's maiden ton in the cash-rich league and which was laced with nine fours and five sixes; taking him past the 500-run mark in the tournament.
The in-form opener, scoring his second 50-plus innings in the second phase of IPL season, had a merciless approach against RR bowlers with Mustafizur Rahman proving the most expensive. The Bangladesh pacer gave away 51 runs in his full quota of four overs while Rahul Tewatia had three wickets to his name for 39.
Sent in to bat first, Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis got CSK off to a good start as the duo matched each other shot for shot in a 32-ball 47 opening stand. The partnership was broken by spinner Tewatia, who had Du Plessis stumped for 25 runs (19 balls). The 28-year-old leg-spinner piled up another wicket by removing out-of-form Suresh Raina (3 off 5) as CSK's good start was soon changed to a worrying 57/2 in nine overs.
However, Gaikwad was just starting off at the other end as he took charge of the innings in a dominant 57-run stand with Moeen Ali for the third wicket. The partnership allowed the right-handed batsman to reach his seventh IPL fifty while taking CSK past the 100-run mark by the end of 14th over.
Gaikwad then took the RR scoring rate above 8 per over outside the powerplays for the first time as he shot Tewatia for two towering sixes over the long-off region. Tewatia made a good comeback in the over by getting Ali (21 off 17) cleverly stumped two balls later.
Newly-in Ambati Rayudu soon fell to Chetan Sakariya in the next over with Royals sensing a comeback. However, the fall of wicket had no bearing on Gaikwad, who clobbered young pacer Akash Singh for two boundaries and a maximum in the 16th over. The opener then shot a four and six again in the next two overs to enter the nineties.
Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 15) then took the load of scoring in the last two overs with three boundaries and a six in the last over.
Gaikwad, batting at 95, shot a huge six over to reach his century off the last ball of the innings.
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