Happy Birthday, Ruturaj Gaikwad: One of India’s most talented young cricketers, Ruturaj Gaikwad, celebrates his 29th birthday on Saturday, January 31. Born in Pune in 1997, the Indian and Chennai Super
Kings star is rated very highly. The elegant batter made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 19 and went on to achieve his debut IPL cap for five-time champions CSK when he was 23.
After his strong performances at the domestic level across formats, the right-hander also earned his maiden international call-up for India during the 2021 tour of Sri Lanka.
With the cream of India’s talented group busy on Test duties in England for the inaugural World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Gaikwad got his opportunity to represent the country during the T20Is. He has since featured at the highest level across 23 T20Is and 9 One-Day Internationals.
Given India’s incredible depth of resources, Gaikwad hasn’t always had the chance don the blue jersey. But the talented cricketer has made his presence felt whenever the selectors have come knocking on his door.
A prime example of which he gave during the recent ODI series against South Africa. Getting a recall only due to injuries to Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, Gaikwad produced a sensational maiden ODI century in Raipur. He had previously blasted a T20I hundred against former world champions Australia.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Stats
| Format | Match | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
| ODIs | 9 | 8 | 228 | 105 | 28.50 | 89.76 | 1 | 1 |
| T20Is | 23 | 20 | 633 | 123* | 39.56 | 143.53 | 1 | 4 |
| FC | 44 | 74 | 3212 | 195 | 45.88 | 61.04 | 9 | 17 |
| List A | 99 | 95 | 5060 | 220* | 58.83 | 102.20 | 20 | 19 |
| T20s | 151 | 145 | 5002 | 123* | 39.07 | 140.54 | 6 | 35 |
| IPL | 71 | 70 | 2502 | 108* | 40.35 | 137.47 | 2 | 20 |
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Career Milestones
Gaikwad produced his first-ever hundred for Team India during the 2023 T20I series against a visiting Australian side. His knock of 123 not out off 57 balls came in Guwahati.
Two years later, Gaikwad celebrated his ODI comeback with a scintillating ton in Raipur against the South Africans. The youngster’s skilful 105 off 83 balls matched Virat Kohli stroke by stroke in the middle during their stand, as he replicated the maestro’s typically busy approach to an innings in One-Day Internationals.
During IPL 2021, Gaikwad finished as the top run-getter of the season after piling on 635 runs in his 16 innings. He averaged 45.35 with a strike rate of 136.26.
It was during that tournament that Gaikwad produced his first IPL century, hitting an unbeaten 101 versus the Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi.
Gaikwad is one of the rare batters to have fetched a double hundred in List A cricket. The Maharashtra batter played a knock of 220 not out off 159 balls against Uttar Pradesh during the Vijay Hazare Trophy in November 2022.
Highlights In CSK Colours
When Gaikwad bagged the ‘Orange Cap’ for the IPL 2021, it was only his second season in CSK colours since making his debut a year before.
A delightful stroke-maker, Gaikwad has blasted 2,502 runs in 70 innings for the Chennai Super Kings since his first outing in IPL 2020. He averages 40.35 with a strike-rate of 137.47, having blazed two hundreds.
He is CSK’s highest run-getter since entering the setup as a 23-year-old for the pandemic-hit season of the league.
In a sign of his enhanced value and reputation within the CSK camp, Gaikwad emerged as a successor for their legendary skipper MS Dhoni. He was appointed as the new captain of the side ahead of the IPL 2024.
