Ruturaj Gaikwad put on a show with the bat in the second ODI between India and South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3. The right-handed batter slammed his maiden 50-over ton, hitting 105 runs of 83 balls at a strike rate of 126.51, hitting two sixes and 12 fours.
Walking out to bat at No. 4, Gaikwad shared a 195-run partnership with Virat Kohli for the third wicket. With his aggressive knock, he also allowed Kohli to play his natural game on the other end.
With the ton, Gaikwad made the most of the opportunity after getting out for just eight runs on his ODI comeback after 2023 in the previous game. The 28-year-old was picked in the India squad after scoring 117, 68*, and 25 for India A in the One-Dayers against South Africa A. In October, he scored 116, 91, and 55 for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy.
The Pune-born player has impressive List-A and First-Class records with 4,647 and 3,146 runs in 91 and 43 matches, respectively. He has slammed 18 and 9 centuries in his List-A and FC careers.
Following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ton, several former cricketers lauded him for his first-ever ODI century.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad should be given a longer rope in the ODI team even if Shreyas Iyer returns after injury. While pointing out the only in his batting, the cricketer-turned-analyst believes that Gaikwad suits the No. 4 slot with his ability to play well against both seamers and spinners. The legendary spinner said on his YouTube channel:
“There are some players where the outside noise immediately gets to their neck. Some get the noise that they are very talented and should be given a long rope. But I don’t know why, how, or where that noise comes from. For Ruturaj Gaikwad, when he performed well, he never got the long run. Sometimes he has also been injured, which is unfortunate.”
He continued:
“But you don’t have to look at him with such impatience. Ruturaj has all the possibilities to bat at No. 4. He can play seamers well. The only way to get him out is if the ball swings initially. That’ll get eliminated if he bats at No. 4. Spin no one can play better than him. He’s also very quick on his feet and runs very well between the wickets. He has every shot in the book. Beyond this, a player doesn’t need to prove anything else to bat at No. 4.”
“Even if Shreyas Iyer comes back, you can still accommodate Ruturaj. Would you want to push Ruturaj up the order, or even Virat can do that, batting up the order? He has done it in T20s. A player with such a pedigree as Ruturaj must be given a long run,” the 39-year-old added.
Kris Srikkanth
Kris Srikkanth, who won the 1983 World Cup with the Men in Blue, credited Ruturaj Gaikwad for his batting technique while lauding him for his efforts to cement a place in the ODI side. The 66-year-old pointed out that Virat Kohli’s presence on the other end made his job easier. Like Ashwin, Srikkanth believes that Gaikwad deserves a longer run in Indian cricket. He said on his YouTube channel:
“Ruturaj Gaikwad was just playing drives, pulls, and glides with great placement. 105 off 83 balls, but you hardly felt like he was scoring. Ruturaj got a nasty bouncer first up, but because Virat Kohli was there, and Ruturaj’s game is similar to Virat Kohli’s with authentic cricketing shots, it helped Ruturaj a lot.”
He continued:
“It’s good for Ruturaj Gaikwad that he has made a comeback into the Indian team and got his maiden ODI century. He is trying to cement his place. I would say he has almost cemented his place. It’s a big thing to score a hundred against such a bowling attack.”
“I hope some kind of normalcy comes into the team picking, I won’t even call it selection. Because Ruturaj Gaikwad definitely deserves a long run. Give him a good opportunity, he’s a brilliant player, be it T20, ODI, or even longer format. He is a guy who can play the long innings and has smashed it in the Ranji Trophy,” Srikkanth added.
Zaheer Khan
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan commended Ruturaj Gaikwad for delivering at No. 4 despite being a top-three batter. He lauded the 28-year-old for bouncing back strongly after being hit by Marco Jansen’s bouncer. The 2011 World Cup-winning player also pointed out Gaikwad’s ability to dominate spin, which can do wonders for India in the middle order. The 47-year-old told Cricbuzz:
“He [Ruturaj Gaikwad] is batting out of position; he must be someone who is batting at No.1, 2, or 3 in Vijay Hazare. But he is now at No.4 with the Indian team, which is not an easy position to bat. For him to walk in there, Marco Jansen welcoming him to the crease with a nice steep bouncer, he will be very happy with the innings he has put up. He was the aggressor in that partnership, took pressure off Virat Kohli as well in that phase.”
“He [Gaikwad] is a top, top player of spin bowling. He makes it very difficult for the spinners to contain. Maybe that is one of the reasons why the team management was also trying to push him in the middle order, because that is a very crucial position. If you have someone who can play risk-free cricket, but yet dominate, that can make it difficult for spin to have that impact in the middle overs,” he added.
Mohammad Kaif
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his delight with Ruturaj Gaikwad finally reaping the rewards for his hard work over the last 7-8 grind in domestic cricket and the IPL. The 44-year-old commended the batter for his risk-free cricket with the ability to deliver against both spin and pace bowlers. He said on his YouTube shorts:
“Many players get picked for India after 1-2 IPL good knocks. But this guy (Gaikwad) has scored continuously for seven to eight years in domestic cricket. This is why I am genuinely happy that he got an opportunity, and he seized it by scoring a hundred.”
“He [Gaikwad] made his List-A debut eight years back and scored 132. He has been playing since then, and he has scored runs consistently in domestic cricket and got an opportunity now. He scored a timely hundred because it was a long wait. It looked like he would get scared by the bouncers from Jansen, but he would not get scared. He has scored so much in domestic cricket and IPL. He is not the one who will get scared. He plays on merit and plays very less risky shots. Any batter who plays fast bowling and spin well can play anywhere. He is an opener but scored a hundred at number four. He can adjust anywhere,” he added.
Harbhajan Singh
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh also commended Ruturaj Gaikwad for grabbing the opportunity with both hands. The cricketer-turned-commentator sounded impressed with the right-handed batter’s attacking display with the bat, reaching his ton in just 77 deliveries. On this, he said on his YouTube channel:
“Ruturaj is brilliant. Brilliant player. He arrived at the scene a bit late, did not get enough opportunities, and now that he has an opportunity, he is not letting go of it. When Ruturaj and Virat were batting together, the way Ruturaj changed gears after reaching fifty, he reached his hundred in some 75 balls. The batsmanship they showed together; it was class.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad will next be seen in action as India and South Africa play the series decider in Vizag on Saturday, December 6.
Edited by James Kuanal
www.sportskeeda.com (Article Sourced Website)
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