Ruturaj Gaikwad put on a masterclass in the match against SRH as he raced away to a magnificent but heartbreaking 99.
Gaikwad and Conway spared no one as they stitched together a massive opening partnership of 182 runs. It all started when Gaikwad took on the Jammu Express, Umran Malik. He hit him with a boundary and followed it up with six. 13 came off the over, and Gaikwad didn't look back after that.
With that innings, Gaikwad equalled the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar's record for the fastest 1000 runs in the IPL. Both Tendulkar and Gaikwad reached the landmark in 31 innings. While it is a wonderful record to be a part of, he also joined Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Chris Gayle, and Prithvi Shaw in the list of players who got out on 99.
Sachin and Gaikwad are followed by Suresh Raina, Rishabh Pant, and Devdutt Padikkal, who reached the landmark in 34, 35, and 35 innings respectively.
As far as the match is concerneed, CSK finished with 202 on board. Chasing 203, SRH showed promise at the start, with both Abhishek and Wliiamson looking in good touch.
But no batsmen, except for Pooran in the end, was able to convert their starts and put the pressure back on CSK. Pooran's resistance lasted till the last over, but CSK's mammoth target proved to be too much in the end, and SRH eventually lost by the match by 13 runs.
CSK are currently langushing at the 9th place on the points table, and will need a monumental effort, along with some luck, if they are to qualify for the playoffs.
