New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Former India batter Ambati Rayudu praised young Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Kartik Sharma after his impressive 71 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), saying the youngster is developing into a complete middle-order player.

Kartik played a fighting knock of 71 off 42 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes after CSK lost early wickets in their seven-wicket defeat to LSG at the Ekana Stadium.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Rayudu said Kartik’s preparation against pace bowling stood out during the innings.

“I think it’s been exceptional. He was prepared for a lot of short bowling against a team that has good fast bowlers – that shows his preparation has been spot on,” Rayudu said.

Rayudu also praised Kartik’s batting against spin and his ability to judge length quickly.

“His game against spin, too, has been quite exceptional in reading length. I just think he’s turning into a complete middle-order batter. Especially for conditions at home in India, he is looking very, very good,” he added.

The former CSK batter said Kartik already has the ability to clear the boundary consistently against both pace and spin.

“He can hit sixes against both fast bowlers and spinners. His batsmanship will improve over time with confidence and experience. He will understand better when to take singles and doubles on certain pitches. Once he gets into those details, I feel his strike rate will improve even more,” Rayudu said.

Rayudu also highlighted Kartik’s quick improvement despite batting lower down the order earlier in the season.

“I think his progress has been pretty rapid, and he’s looking really good. He is a fast learner. He was learning on the job because he batted at No. 6 and No. 7 in the first half of the IPL, which is not an easy role. But since he has started batting at No. 4 and No. 5, he has been batting exceptionally well,” he said.

Earlier in the match, CSK posted 187/5 thanks largely to Kartik’s innings and Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 32. But LSG chased the target comfortably after a brilliant 90 from Mitchell Marsh and a 135-run opening partnership with Josh Inglis.

–IANS

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