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Ruturaj Gaikwad roared back to form with a magnificent century in the second ODI against South Africa on December 3. By all means, the knock was special for Gaikwad, as it was his maiden century in the format. The young opener reached the landmark in just 77 deliveries. His impressive knock, which was decorated with 12 fours and two sixes, was instrumental in helping India post a massive total of 359/5 in their stipulated 50 overs. Notably, Gaikwad shared a crucial 195-run partnership with Virat Kohli, who also registered his second consecutive ODI century in the match.
Last game I was really gutted to miss out on a knock: Ruturaj Gaikwad
After his innings, Gaikwad expressed his relief and satisfaction, noting that he was 'gutted' to have missed out on a big score during the series opener in Ranchi, especially given the favorable batting conditions there. Speaking during the mid-innings break, he further shared that batting alongside an experienced player like Virat Kohli was incredibly helpful, and he was happy to have capitalized on the conditions in the second match.
"Last game I was really gutted to miss out on a knock. It was a really good wicket and the conditions were suited for me, could have easily scored a few runs. So really gutted last game and thankfully it came out really well today," Gaikwad said during the mid-innings interaction.
The pitch conditions played a key role in Ruturaj Gaikwad's assessment of his innings development. He noted that the wicket was initially a bit inconsistent, describing it as "two-paced" for the first 15 to 20 overs of the match. However, the surface improved significantly after that initial period, allowing him to build his innings effectively and ultimately score his maiden century.
"Today it was more suitable for me, I went out to bat around the 11th over, and I told myself to approach it as if I was already 25 or 30 balls in after powerplay and bat accordingly, look to rotate strike. Until 15-20 overs it was slightly two-paced but after that it got better and we worked on that," Gaikwad further added.
Obviously a dream to bat with him: Gaikwad on batting alongside Virat Kohli
Gaikwad described batting alongside Virat Kohli as a dream experience, emphasising how immensely valuable their record-breaking partnership was. He explained that Kohli provided continuous guidance throughout the middle overs of the innings.
He specifically highlighted that Kohli offered tactical advice on various aspects of batting, including how to effectively find gaps in the field, accurately anticipate the bowlers' upcoming lengths, and make subtle technical adjustments needed to minimize the number of dot balls being played.
"(On batting with Kohli) Obviously a dream to bat with him and have a wonderful partnership. He helped me a lot throughout the middle about how to access gaps, what lengths the bowler might be bowling and how you can adjust your technique and score some runs by playing less dot balls. So definitely very helpful and good learning for me," he concluded.
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