Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming has said that whenever Ruturaj Gaikwad goes out to bat for the IPL side, the expectations are always very high and the "others are realising why we have such high regard for him".
Gaikwad made an unbeaten 101 off 60 balls, becoming the youngest CSK batsman at 24 years to score a century in the Indians Premier League. Though the century came in a losing cause -- CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets -- Fleming said that it was an outstanding performance.
Gaikwad has emerged as the highest run-getter in IPL 2021 so far, amassing 508 runs at an average of 50.80 this season, followed by Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul on 489 runs.
"It was a magnificent innings. It is not often that you have a centurion in your side and you come away with a loss. We will be a bit flat around that but the team will celebrate an individual performance that was of high class," Fleming said in a post-match press conference.
The coach said the knock was a "continuation of Ruturaj's journey."
"It's another continuation of the young man's journey. Our expectations have always been very high. Others are just starting to realise why we have such high regard for him. His performance was magnificent. We are really proud of him and are really pleased with his progress. The way he is playing is outstanding," he said.
Talking about the pitch, Fleming said batting became easier as the game progressed.
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"As the dew settled, the pitch got better and better. The second half of our innings showed that as well. Initially there was a bit of stickiness, but once the dew settled it became an absolute road. It was quite different to any of the pitches we've played so far," added Fleming.