Image: Ruturaj Gaikwad will make his debut in the upcoming Home Tests / © ESPNcricinfo
Imagine a player dominating in the domestic format but still being ignored by the BCCI. And no, it is not Shreyas Iyer, who has been in the news for being excluded from the Indian side for a long time. It is Ruturaj Gaikwad who has improved his performance to a great extent, but is still being ignored by the selectors.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has once again given his answer to the BCCI selectors with his bat, as he shone in the Duleep Trophy. In the prestigious semi-final clash between West Zone and Central Zone, Ruturaj Gaikwad showcased his resilience by scoring 184 runs off just 206 balls with 25 fours and one six.
The Indian team is currently going through a transition phase in the Test format, after the retirement of various players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravichandran Ashwin. The team has found its replacement for Rohit Sharma in the form of KL Rahul, who showcased resilience and consistency while opening.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill has also taken the number 4 spot, which was held by Virat Kohli for more than a decade in the longer format of the game. However, there has been one spot which the team has not been able to fill, and even the coach Gautam Gambhir has tried numerous players for the same.
It is the number 3 spot, and several players such as Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, and more have been tried at this spot. But, none of them has been able to deliver consistent performances coming down at this challenging position. Now, it seems that Ruturaj Gaikwad is making his way for the Indian team to play at number 3.
His recent performances, not just in the Indian domestic, but also the English domestic, showcased that Gaikwad is not backing down till he makes his debut in the whites. Taking a look at this recent form in red ball cricket, Gautam Gambhir may also be looking forward to giving Gaikwad a chance to hold the number 3 spot. Let’s take a look at the recent performances by Ruturaj over the last few domestic seasons.
During the 2022/23 season, Ruturaj Gaikwad missed out on a majority of the games in the Ranji Trophy due to an injury in his groin. However, he made an impact for the team even in the few matches that he played, as he scored 364 runs in 4 matches at an average of 52, with a century and two half-centuries.
After missing out in the team’s initial match against Delhi, Ruturaj Gaikwad made his way back in the next game against Saurashtra. In this match, he came to open for the team and ended up scoring 65 runs off just 123 balls with 9 fours. This helped Maharashtra to get a rocket start to the match, as it resulted in a draw.
In the next game against Andhra Pradesh, Gaikwad once again showcased his batting process. He failed to score well in the first innings, scoring 28 runs off 35 balls with 6 fours. But when Maharashtra had to set a target, Gaikwad was the only one to have dominated. In the team’s second innings, Ruturaj scored 63 runs off 98 balls with 9 fours, and this further helped Maharashtra to win by 131 runs.
He missed out on the next game but again made a strong comeback in the match against Tamil Nadu. Although the match resulted in a draw, Gaikwad received the POTM award. With Maharashtra batting first, he scored 195 runs off just 184 balls with 24 fours and 8 sixes, dominating the Tamil Nadu bowlers. This helped the team score 446 runs in the first innings, and Gaikwad also made his personal best this season.
He played his last match of this season against Hyderabad, where he was not able to perform well. In the first innings, he went on to score just 8 runs while being dismissed for a golden duck in the second innings. Following this, he didn’t play any matches in the domestic season, as he was ruled out due to injury disruptions.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was a part of the Indian cricket team in the limited-overs format towards late 2023. During a match against South Africa, he suffered an injury to his finger, after which he was also ruled out of the tour. Upon the consultations with the NCA, he was pulled out of action for the next few months.
Since the ODI matches against South Africa ended just before the Ranji Trophy, Gaikwad went on to miss the majority of the tournament for his team. Over the last two seasons in the Ranji Trophy, injuries have been the major reason for him missing out for Maharashtra. But, he was eager to make a comeback for his team, and eventually did it towards the later stages of the tournament.
On February 16, when Maharashtra and Services faced each other, Ruturaj Gaikwad made his comeback, yet again giving a statement to the BCCI selectors. Playing after almost two months, Gaikwad went on to score 96 runs off 161 balls with 9 fours and one six in the team’s first innings. Although he missed out on his well-deserved century, his comeback was clear.
Even though he missed out on the Ranji Trophy, he made himself fully available for the Duleep Trophy. Playing for India C, Ruturaj Gaikwad was available for all three matches and even made it to the list of top run scorers in the tournament. He was the highest scorer for India C, with 232 runs in 3 matches at an average of 38.66, with 2 half-centuries.
Being the captain of India C, Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the first game against India D. He scored just 5 runs off 19 balls in the first innings, but regained his form soon to score 46 runs off 48 balls with 8 fours in the second innings. Gaikwad further led his team to win the game and get an impressive start to the tournament.
Later, in the next game against India B, he once again showcased his batting prowess. In the first innings of the team, Gaikwad went on to score 58 runs off 74 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes, and further scored 62 runs off 93 balls in the second innings, being a consistent performer throughout the game.
But he was not able to end this domestic season on a positive note, as India C lost their last game against India A. In the first innings, Gaikwad went on to score just 17 runs off 20 balls, but he came back in the second innings as a lone warrior for his team. He scored 44 runs off 93 balls with 5 fours, but his team lost the game by a good margin.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was not a part of the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 season for the majority of the games yet again. But this time, it was not just due to the injury issues but also for various other reasons, as Gaikwad made himself available for Yorkshire, to participate in the England domestic, preparing for the England tour which was about to take place in June.
Still, he managed to play 3 matches for Maharashtra this season, and scored 330 runs at an average of 66, with a century and two half-centuries. He started off the tournament well, in the team’s first match against Jammu and Kashmir. In the first innings, he scored 86 runs off 130 balls with 13 fours, as the match ended in a draw.
In the next game against Mumbai, Gaikwad was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, but he made an impressive comeback in the second innings of the game. He scored 145 runs off 171 balls with 17 fours and 2 sixes. Despite his notable contributions, Maharashtra lost the game against Mumbai, and Gaikwad was also ruled out for the India A games.
Although he didn’t perform well in the India A tour of Australia A, he was still eager to mark his comeback. When he returned for the match against Baroda, as the team captain, Gaikwad went on to score 10 runs off 21 balls in the first innings, which was followed by a magnificent knock of 89 runs off 83 balls in the second innings.
After the Ranji Trophy, Ruturaj Gaikwad went on to play the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings. But during the season, he suffered an injury due to which he was once again ruled out of action for remaining of the remaining IPL matches. By the time IPL had come to an end, he made himself available for the Indian cricket team, and also played for Yorkshire in the County Championship.
However, Ruturaj Gaikwad once again missed out on being selected for the England tour, as the team continued its struggles for the number 3 position. Ruturaj still made sure that he is able to give a strong statement to the BCCI selectors whenever he plays his next first-class game.
For this, he didn’t have to wait long, as Gaikwad participated in the Duleep Trophy, playing for the West Zone. In the semi-final match against Central Zone, Gaikwad showcased some impressive performances as he scored 184 runs off 206 balls with 25 fours and one six. With India having a home series against the West Indies scheduled in October, Gaikwad aims to finally make his debut in the whites.
If Ruturaj Gaikwad is not picked for the third position, what spot would you want him to bat in the Indian cricket team?