IPL 2021, RR vs CSK: Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal heroics help Royals prevail despite Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ton

Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal made their presence felt with stunning performances when it mattered the most on Saturday. Dube and Jaiswal scored quickfire half-centuries to help the Rajasthan Royals (RR) emerge victorious by a margin of seven wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 encounter against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Even a target of 190 did not prove enough for the Chennai-based franchise, who were able to post that total following a swashbuckling maiden century in the IPL by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dube smashed an unbeaten 64 runs off 42 deliveries in an innings comprising of four boundaries and sixes apiece. Jaiswal had earlier accumulated 50 runs from 21 balls on the back of six fours and three maximums. The duo helped RR chase down the target in just 17.3 overs.

Shardul Thakur was the pick of the bowlers for CSK, accounting for two dismissals. KM Asif chipped in with 1 wicket.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 101 helps Dhoni’s men post 189

Ruturaj made his presence felt with a sensational performance, smashing an unbeaten 101 off 60 deliveries in an innings comprising of nine boundaries and five sixes. Ravindra Jadeja further chipped in with a quick-fire 32 off 15 deliveries down the order. Jadeja’s knock included four fours and a maximum.

Rahul Tewatia was the pick of the bowlers for the Rajasthan-based franchise, accounting for three dismissals. Chetan Sakariya made his presence felt by picking one wicket.

“The wicket was holding up a bit initially, they started off well in the powerplay. My plan was to bat till the 13th or 14th over, so that I could capitalize on it later. I’m just looking to time the ball and maintain my shape. At the end of the day the team score matters. Individual score doesn’t matter, unless and until your team is winning. We were looking for 160, then I thought 170, 180 and finally we got 190. I had timed that ball well and it was the shorter boundary, so I knew it was going to be a six. We need to bowl well and execute our plans,” said Ruturaj as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“A bad toss to lose. 190 was a good score, and the dew made it flat, and the ball started coming on well. You needed to bat well, and they did that, and put pressure on the bowlers. They just took the game away in the first 6 overs. 250 would’ve been closer to par, given the way they were going. It was stopping a bit with their wristspinners, and it started coming on better later, that’s when Ruturaj capitalised really well. Often when you lose the game it can get brushed under the carpet but it was a brilliant innings,” said MS Dhoni after the defeat.

“I think the batsmen must assess quickly what is a good score, and you tend to go hard in the format and then realise that it’s not a 160-180 wicket. They assessed the conditions quickly, and they didn’t let pressure get to the middle order. Deepak played really well, and the bowlers were under the pump. We should have used the dimensions better. It’s important to forget but also learn from this game, because there’s no point learning if this happens in a playoff match,” he added.