Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey heaped praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad after they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by a huge margin of 78 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. Gaikwad scored a fine knock of 98 runs off just 54 balls to help his team post 212 runs on the board after they were put into bat by SRH captain Pat Cummins.

The flamboyant batter scored 10 fours and three sixes as he scored his runs at a strike rate of 181.48. The flamboyant batter added 107 runs with Daryl Mitchell, who scored 52 runs off 32 balls.

Gaikwad missed his second century on the bounce by two runs but played a key role in the team’s win. The right-hander is the second-highest run-getter of the tournament with 447 runs in nine matches at an average of 63.86 and a strike rate of 149.50.

“Gaikwad is such a wonderful player. He is a brilliant timer of the cricket ball. I’ve been asking him what his secret is in terms of his placement, he always finds the gaps. He is a smart batsman as well, he knows when to attack and when to soak up pressure. He plays spin well, he plays seam well. He can score all around the ground. He’s almost one step ahead of the bowlers a lot of times. He is wonderful to watch. Very thankful that he is in our team,” Hussey said in the post-match presser.

The former Australian batter admitted it has not been easy for Gaikwad to fill in the big captaincy shoes of former skipper MS Dhoni.

“It has been challenging for him as well. He has taken over as captain to which you have to take your hat off to him. He is succeeding the greatest of all time in this country,” Hussey added.

CSK has won five out of the nine matches they have played. Chennai Super Kings will next take on Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Wednesday.