Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who topped the run charts in IPL 2021, further pressed his claim for ODI selection with a majestic 154* for Maharashtra in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Gaikwad has seen his stock rise dramatically over the last 18 months ever since he made his IPL debut for MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings last year. The young opener enjoyed a stellar breakout season in 2021, finishing as the competition’s leading run-scorer as CSK bounced back from a disappointing campaign in 2020 to lift the IPL trophy for the fourth time.
Gaikwad was rewarded for his IPL form with a first India call-up earlier this year, playing two T20Is against Sri Lanka when India’s all-format stars were unavailable due to the concurrent Test tour of England.
The 24-year-old is now building up a case for selection in ODI cricket, too. Gaikwad has nine List A hundreds to his name and boasts an average of 52.12 after 61 games.
He has made a stellar start to his Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, rattling off hundreds in both of his opening games. In his first fixture – against Madhya Pradesh – Gaikwad hit a 112-ball 136 as Maharashtra successfully chased down 329 with two balls to spare.
The following day, Gaikwad produced another special performance, hitting an unbeaten 154 against Chhattisgarh in another successful chase.
You can watch highlights of that knock below:
