Ruturaj Gaikwad is the single hottest name doing the rounds in Indian cricket at the moment. The 24-year-old, leading Maharashtra on Tuesday notched up a fourth century of the 2021/22 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy while batting against Chandigarh in the Elite Group D match at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
Gaikwad led Maharashtra's chase of 310, leading from the front with a fourth ton of the season in five matches. He was dismissed for 168 as his knock overshadowed Manan Vohra's stroke-filled century (141) as Maharashtra secured a five-wicket win over Chandigarh. The fourth win of the season takes them to the third spot in Group D table with 16 points.
Following scores of 136 against Madhya Pradesh, 154 not out against Chhattisgarh, 124 against Kerala and 21 vs Uttarakhand, Gaikwad, was once again up to his marauding best, with his 11th List A century. Gaikwad has already taken his tally to 603 runs, followed by Venkatesh Iyer at second.
With this, Gaikwad has joined the likes of Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal for the most number of centuries scored in a single edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's premier domestic 50-over competition. Kohli was the first to do it back in 2009/10, season, followed by Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal, both of whom registered four tons during the 2020/21 season.
With these knocks, Gaikwad has presented a solid case for himself to be rewarded with a place in India's ODI squad for the tour of South Africa. The BCCI is yet to name the squad for the ODI series, which starts from January 19, and with reports emerging that Kohli might skip the three games, Gaikwad could be the perfect replacement for the former India ODI, T20I captain.
Gaikwad has featured for India in two T20Is, earlier this year against Sri Lanka, scoring 35 runs. However, his stocks rose in the IPL 2021, where representing the Chennai Super Kings, Gaikwad hammered 635 runs and emerged as the highest run scorer of the season, thus winning the Orange Cap. The BCCI selectors are believed to be keeping a keen eye on the Vijay Hazare Trophy and with still a few games left, who is to say that Gaikwad would not be on that plane to South Africa.
{{/usCountry}}Gaikwad has featured for India in two T20Is, earlier this year against Sri Lanka, scoring 35 runs. However, his stocks rose in the IPL 2021, where representing the Chennai Super Kings, Gaikwad hammered 635 runs and emerged as the highest run scorer of the season, thus winning the Orange Cap. The BCCI selectors are believed to be keeping a keen eye on the Vijay Hazare Trophy and with still a few games left, who is to say that Gaikwad would not be on that plane to South Africa.
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