"Ruturaj Gaikwad's game awareness is outstanding" - Salman Butt impressed by the CSK opener after his IPL ton

Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt was in awe of Chennai Super Kings sensation Ruturaj Gaikwad following his maiden T20 hundred. Ruturaj Gaikwad lit up Abu Dhabi on Saturday by scoring a scintillating ton against the Rajasthan Royals.

Gaikwad reached his century on the last ball of the innings by smacking his fifth six and finishing with an unbeaten 101. The right-handed batsman's 60-ball ton propelled the Super Kings to 190 in 20 overs and earned him the orange cap.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt hailed Gaikwad's game awareness and his ability to combat pressure. Butt feels the youngster's game is simple and risk-free as he avoids reckless shots and sets himself up before unleashing carnage. He said:

"Ruturaj Gaikwad is a natural talent. But the mental and technical development and the game awareness is outstanding as he absorbs the pressure during difficult phases. There are players if they don't hit boundaries for 3-4 deliveries, they begin taking a risk or play reckless shots. But Ruturaj Gaikwad is different as he puts away the bad balls and doesn't come under pressure if otherwise. When set, he starts converting the aerial shots from grounded ones."

The 24-year old's knock contained five sixes and seven fours; however, it went in vain. The Royals chased down 190 with more than two overs and seven wickets to spare. Shivam Dube top-scored with 64*.

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Gaikwad struck at 160 to 170, but he plays risk-free cricket: Salman Butt

Salman Butt. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Butt further claimed Gaikwad is amazing to watch and maintains a healthy strike rate despite playing risk-free cricket. The former Pakistan captain lauded the youngster for adapting well to the format and not playing slam-bang cricket.

"He is also beautiful to watch and is old school as compared to most modern-day players. Gaikwad struck at 160 to 170, but he plays risk-free cricket. Hence, it's a great quality for a batsman to have the temperament in a T20 game by respecting the good balls and playing your shots when set. His adaptability in this format with a proper technique is outstanding and unlike most new players, Gaikwad plays proper cricketing shots."

Gaikwad's 508 runs in IPL 2021 at 50.80 have enabled him to top the run-scoring charts. But despite losing, the Super Kings maintained their first position in the points table and also became the first team to qualify for the playoffs.