IPL 2021: "Ruturaj is much like Mahi"- Robin Uthappa on his fellow CSK batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad

Robin Uthappa, who's currently part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad, has praised highly of his fellow teammate Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 35-year old applauded Gaikwad for his calm attitude and mentioned that his demeanor is similar to that of CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who is universally known for his cool-headed nature.

CSK posted a short video clip from their official Twitter account, where Uthappa is seen applauding Gaikwad's character and feels that CSK is lucky enough to have the 24-year old in their ranks. The video was captioned:

"Calm, composed than before ? Robbing ft. Rutu! #WhistlePodu #YellowLove @Ruutu1331 @robbieuthappa"

You can find the video below:

While mentioning the similarities between Gaikwad's and MSD's character, Uthappa said:

"I think the character showed from Rutu (Ruturaj Gaikwad), I think is unbelievable. I think he is an incredible talent that we (CSK) are lucky enough to have and his demeanor is much like Mahi (Dhoni) - calm, composed, chilled out, and a really nice human being. I really like him, he's a great kid."

Dhoni is considered to be one of the calmest cricketers in the world, and to be compared with him is an incredible compliment for Ruturaj Gaikwad.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad has been excellent for CSK in IPL 2021

An on-field example of Gaikwad's serene composure was seen during the first match of Phase 2 of IPL 2021, between CSK and the Mumbai Indians. The Chennai outfit were in all sorts of trouble and lost four wickets for a mere 25 runs on the board.

But Gaikwad showed an imperturbable and commendable character and pulled his side out of danger. The 24-year old played a match-winning knock of 88* under pressure.

Uthappa also talked about the importance of not losing early wickets during the powerplay. He mentioned a particular T20 stat which said that if a team loses two or more wickets in the powerplay, then the chances of winning the match becomes only 10 percent.

"When you look at cricket statistics.. the stats say that if a team loses more than 2 or 3 wickets in the powerplay then the chances of winning the game is only 10 percent."

Gaikwad kicked his second half of the tournament in the UAE exceptionally well with scores of - 88, 38 and 40 in his first three matches. He even earned his place in the national side during a white ball series against Sri Lanka in July. Having scored a total of 362 runs at an average of 40 in ten matches in IPL 2021, Gaikwad has now become one of the mainstays for his franchise.