Gaikwad stakes claim, but SA clinch run-fest

Opener Markram slams century while Breetzke & Brevis score a fifty each as Proteas chase down 359 to level series

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

WHEN a then young Ruturaj Gaikwad was catching the eye with his franchise side, Chennai Super Kings, Faf du Plessis had likened him to a young Virat Kohli. “Looks (Gaikwad) like a young Kohli, doesn’t he,” Du Plessis had remarked after Gaikwad had made an unbeaten 62 for the team during a successful run chase in a game in 2020. “What stands out for me is that he stands up to pressure.”

Five years and a month removed from that knock, Gaikwad’s making good on his initial promise. A modern batter who has multiple shots for each delivery, the 28-year-old stroked his way to an aesthetically pleasing 83-ball 105 in the second ODI against South Africa at Raipur on Wednesday.

The innings is a confirmation of everything Gaikwad brings to the white-ball setup. He can clear the ropes, can rotate strike and adept at accessing different areas. But, importantly, he also showed he can up the ante coming in the middle-order, not his usual position. Even as Virat Kohli played at his own pace, the Maharashtrian was keen to keep the momentum established by Rohit Sharma as well as the visiting bowlers, whose radar malfunctioned in the powerplay.