NEW DELHI: Ruturaj Gaikwad finally celebrated his maiden ODI century after a long wait, producing a fluent 105 off 83 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes. His knock gave India a strong platform for the big total.
Gutted last time
"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," he said during mid innings break.
Gaikwad explained how he walked in with a focused mindset, treating the situation as if he was already well set and making sure he kept the innings moving. His understanding of the pitch helped him shift gears at the right time.
"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."
Valuable guidance from Kohli
Batting with Virat Kohli gave Gaikwad the confidence and clarity needed to shape a big partnership. He highlighted how the senior batter helped him read the game better and score with more control and efficiency.
"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."
