Former India player Dilip Vengsarkar said that the selectors must choose in-form batter Ruturaj Gaikwad for the three-match ODI series in South Africa. According to the veteran, Gaikwad has scored enough runs to prove his worth as well.
The youngster has been in sublime form with the bat recently. He smashed three consecutive centuries for Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Before being dismissed for 21 against Uttarakhand, Gaikwad’s scores read – 136 (vs Madhya Pradesh), 154* (vs Chhattisgarh) and 124 (against Kerala) as well.
Listing down all notable performances at the Vijay Hazare Trophy so far 👇🏻 (Apologies for being a bit late on this)
Ruturaj Gaikwad ➡️
154* (143) vs Chhattisgarh
136 (112) vs MP
124 (129) vs KeralaVenkatesh Iyer ➡️
151 (113) vs Chandigarh
112 (84) vs Kerala— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) December 12, 2021
Speaking to TOI, Vengsarkar said about Ruturaj Gaikwad: “You must pick a man in form. How many more runs does he need to score to prove himself ? It is high time the selectors pick him straight away and give him a proper opportunity.”
Before his stunning show in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gaikwad won the Orange Cap while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2021 as well. He scored 635 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.35, playing a crucial role in CSK’s fourth title win this season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Can bat at No 3- Dilip Vengsarkar
While Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are likely to open the innings in South Africa during the ODIs, Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan are in the team as backup openers.
Vengsarkar suggested: “He (Gaikwad) can bat at No 3 also. He must be accommodated in the team. It’s not like Ruturaj 18 or 19. He’s 24 now. There’s no point in picking him when he’ll be 28.”
Rocketing Runs ft. Rutu 🚀💯🚀💯🚀💯#VijayHazareTrophy #WhistlePodu🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/IfKnBqS0d9
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 12, 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad has so far played 21 first-class matches, scoring 1349 runs, including four tons. In 63 List A games, he has 3116 runs which came at an average of 52.81. However, he earned his maiden call-up during the Sri Lanka series earlier this year.
However, Gaikwad made his debut in the second T20I of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, scoring 21 off 18. He was dismissed for 14 off 10 in the next T20I as Sri Lanka won the three-match series 2-1 as well.
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