One of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s strengths is minimalistic gameplay that can satisfy the Puritans with technical accuracy while being aggressive to meet the demands of modern games.
On Tuesday, he produced such a punch, delivering a stunning undefeated 118 ( 126b, 16×4, 3×6). stadium.
From the start Gaikwad took full control and quickly chased L. Vignesh and beat him on four borders.
Shortly after, however, the 23rd-placed starter had to retire with a forearm problem. When he came back he found good support in lefty Azim Kazi (87 number, 119b, 6×4, 4×6). Another hitter suffered discomfort and temporarily retired after twisting his ankle.
Earlier, Kedar Jadhav (56) and his Ankeet Bawane (45) made good platform for the hosts with his third wicket as he made a record of 81 runs.
Tamil Nadu fought back in the second session, putting Maharashtra in trouble 208 for 6 with tea before Gaiquad and Kaji won the game with a 142-run winning streak on the seventh wicket.
Whether well-timed offside moves, hitting his foot on a spinner or pulling on a pacemaker, Guyquad remained largely unperturbed during the tap.
An aggressive Kaji started by drawing Sandeep his Warrior with his two sixes before getting injured. Despite his struggles on the run, Kaji didn’t hesitate after returning to the crease and easily found his limits.
After winning a draw, TN have made poor use of the conditions and face a tough challenge in a must-win game. The team also failed tactically, being only able to field fifth bowler S. Ajith Ram in his 70th over of the day, well positioned by Gaikwad and Kazi.
SCORECARD
Maharashtra – 1st innings: Ruturaj Gaikwad not out 118, Siddhesh Veer (run out) 9, Rahul Tripathi c Jagadeesan b Vignesh 7, Kedar Jadhav lbw b Vijay Shankar 56, Ankeet Bawane c Ajith Ram b Warrier 45, Azim Kazi not out 87, Saurabh Navale c Indrajith b Vignesh 5, Ashay Palkar c Indrajith b Sai Kishore 11; Extras (lb-5, w-7): 12; Total (for six wkts., in 83 overs): 350.
Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-45, 3-126, 4-159, 5-185, 6-208.
Tamil Nadu Bowling: Vignesh 17-1-80-2, Warrier 20-4-72-1, Crist 10-1-29-0, Sai Kishore 15-0-65-1, Vijay Shankar 10-1-41-1, Aparajith 4-0-22-0, Ajith Ram 6-1-35-0, Pradosh 1-0-1-0.