"He is trying to find his way in international cricket" - Abhishek Nayar lauds Ruturaj Gaikwad's knock in 2nd India vs Ireland T20I
Abhishek Nayar believes Ruturaj Gaikwad's half-century in the second T20I between India and Ireland will help him get a foothold in international cricket.
Gaikwad scored 58 runs off 43 deliveries as the Men in Blue set a 186-run target for Ireland in Malahide, Dublin, on Sunday, August 20. The Indian bowlers then restricted the hosts to 152/8 to help their team register a convincing 33-run win and seal the series 2-0 ahead of the final game at the same venue.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Nayar was asked about his thoughts on Gaikwad's knock, to which he responded:
"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."
The former Indian all-rounder added:
"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."
Nayar reckons the half-century in Sunday's game should hold the Maharashtra batter in good stead going forward. He elaborated:
"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."
Gaikwad's 58-run knock was his second fifty in T20I cricket. He had aggregated only 154 runs at an underwhelming average of 19.25 in his previous nine innings in the shortest format.
"Every shot he plays, it goes in the gap" - Kiran More on Ruturaj Gaikwad
![Ruturaj Gaikwad struck six fours and a six during his innings. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/585ca-16925875300858-1920.jpg?w=500)
Kiran More was effusive in his praise for 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."
India were in a slight spot of bother when they were reduced to 34/2 after losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma's wickets in quick succession. Gaikwad then added 71 runs for the third wicket with Sanju Samson (40 off 26) to put the visitors on track for a substantial total.