"Ruturaj Gaikwad was shoulder-to-shoulder with Virat Kohli" - Former Indian seamer lavishes praise on CSK star after IND vs SA 2025 2nd ODI

Former Indian seamer Irfan Pathan said it was magnificent to watch the partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli during the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. With Gaikwad scoring his maiden ODI hundred, Pathan observed that he was 'shoulder-to-shoulder' with Kohli.

With Kohli known for his sensational game awareness and running between the wickets, Gaikwad played the perfect foil to him. The Pune-born cricketer had failed in his first outing as a No. 4 batter in ODIs but cashed in during the second ODI on Wednesday, December 3, mustering a 77-ball ton and top-scoring for India with 105. He shared a massive 195-run stand with Kohli, setting the foundation for India's total of 358.

Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel 'Irfan Pathan,' the 41-year-old showered praise on Gaikwad for his aggressive batting and the range of shots he showcased against all kinds of bowling. Pathan elaborated:

"It seemed like Ruturaj Gaikwad was shoulder to shoulder with Virat Kohli. Gaikwad’s running between the wickets was sensational. Kohli enjoyed batting with Gaikwad. Gaikwad failed in the first game and he got an opportunity again and seized it well. He has never batted at number four. He deserves praise for his chanceless batting. The biggest thing is he can play over covers against the left-arm spinner, he can play square cut against off-spinners, can play sweep against left-arm spinners, can play lap shot against spinners, can play pull off the back foot against both spinners and fast bowlers."

"Finally, he can step out to spinners and play straight. The range of shots shows his potential as a batter. Gaikwad has seized his opportunity fully and hope he reigns supreme for a long time. The way he ran between the wickets and hit the century, it was shoulder to shoulder with Kohli. It was outstanding to see them bat together," he added.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old's ton went in vain as Aiden Markram mustered 110 off 98 deliveries to help South Africa gun down 359 with four wickets and as many balls to spare.

"Ravindra Jadeja’s innings was disappointing from India’s perspective" - Irfan Pathan

In the same video, Pathan pointed out that Ravindra Jadeja's knock of 27-ball 24* was an outlier in an innings where almost every batter struck at above 100.

"KL Rahul’s finish was crucial otherwise India would have fallen even shorter. When I was commentating, I observed Ravindra Jadeja’s innings could put India in trouble and I felt that was the difference in the end. When the total is above 300 and almost everyone has scored at a strike rate of 100 and you have struck at 88, you have batted slow. It happens but Jadeja’s intent was disappointing. It could’ve been better. We anticipated things to be difficult if the ball gets wet. That’s why South Africa were cautious at the start. Jadeja’s innings was disappointing from India’s perspective," Pathan said.

While Markram was the Player of the Match, Matthew Breetzke (68) and Dewald Brevis (54) also scored crucial half-centuries for the Proteas.