Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif showered praise on Ryan Rickelton after Mumbai Indians secured a comprehensive six-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Monday.
Rickelton scored a magnum opus knock of 83 runs off just 32 balls against LSG in the run-chase of 229. The left-hander added 143 runs off just 65 balls with Rohit Sharma to give a perfect start to his team. As a result, MI were able to chase down their highest total in IPL history.
Kaif said on Star Sports, “You will not see many shots through the covers, and there are hardly any runs through the point or cover. Most of his scoring comes on the leg side because of his strong bottom-hand technique and the way he plays the ball around his pads, producing a powerful bat swing in that region. It is clear that he is very strong on the leg side and arguably there is no better player in his team in that area. In today’s match as well, it was a superb innings in a big chase. Mumbai had been on a losing streak, and his knock proved crucial in helping them win the match.”
Earlier, the South African batter had scored a fine century while playing at the Wankhede but his knock had went in vain against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“He (Ryan Rickelton) clearly enjoys batting on this surface, where there is true bounce, little turn, and minimal movement. Batters from South Africa, in particular, like playing on such grassy pitches, and he is no different. He especially likes playing down the ground and on the leg side. He even cleared the long-on boundary comfortably.”
On the other hand, former Indian batter Suresh Raina reckons LSG were 30-35 runs short of a par score despite posting 228 runs on the board.
“Rishabh Pant definitely said there that we were 15 runs short, but I would say they were 30-35 runs short because the MI opening pair batted so well, they added 143 runs off 65 balls. Rickelton is in very good form, and Rohit Sharma hadn’t played five matches. As soon as he came back, he smashed a flurry of sixes and played beautiful shots all around the ground. He played explosive batting at Wankhede, and it was the highest ever chase for MI, achieved in 18.4 overs.”
