Abhishek Nayar said Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century in the second T20I between India and Ireland will help him get a foothold in international cricket as well. Gaikwad scored 58 runs off 43 deliveries as India set a 186-run target for Ireland in Malahide, Dublin, on Sunday, August 20. The Indian bowlers then restricted Ireland to 152/8 to help their team register a convincing 33-run win as well.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Nayar said: “It was a mature knock. It was very Ruturaj Gaikwad. Normally in T20 cricket, from that position, he tends to get bigger eighties and he converts that into a hundred. The way he batted, there was controlled aggression. He is trying to find his way in international cricket. So it’s always good to get a fifty for India and you are going to always go stronger and stronger. We all know the potential he has. We all know the talent and his ability to convert scores.”
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Abhishek Nayar also said that the half-century in Sunday’s game should hold Ruturaj Gaikwad in good stead going forward as well.
“It’s good that he has started scoring runs because once he does, he is a machine. He keeps getting runs, keeps churning out big scores, but we got to see, what I call, lazy elegance. The amount of time he has, it was lovely to see Ruturaj get runs for India.”
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Meanwhile, Kiran More also praised Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ability to find gaps. He said:
“He is a quality player. He built his innings and stitched a good partnership when wickets had fallen and played almost till the end. He is a game-maker and he has got some quality shots. On the back foot, he played a couple of great shots. Every shot he plays, it goes in the gap. That is very important as a quality player.”
