Ruturaj Gaikwad smashes hundred in Ranji Trophy: A message to the selectors?

Mumbai and Maharashtra are currently playing in the Ranji Trophy match where both the Indian batters Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad made headlines with their respective centuries. While Iyer scored one yesterday (142 off 190), Gaikwad smashed a hundred on Sunday, giving a strong message to the selectors for his selection in the Test squad as well.

However, with this, he has smashed his seventh century in First-Class cricket. Gaikwad reached the three-figure mark on Day 3 of the match at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai. The Maharashtra captain helped his side to steady in the middle after they lost Siddhesh Veer early in the game. Notably, Mumbai were bowled out for 441 in the first innings as well.

Ruturaj Gaikwad shines with the bat

Notably, Gaikwad has 14 half-centuries to his name so far. In 35 matches, the veteran Maharashtra batter has scored past 2,400 runs in red-ball cricket as well. He scored at an average of over 43. Gaikwad, who has represented India in six ODIs and 23 T20Is, is yet to feature in the longer format as well.

Moreover, Gaikwad has been in good form recently. He led the Rest of India in the Irani Cup against Mumbai and also started off the Ranji Trophy with 86 against Jammu & Kashmir before being dismissed for a duck in the next match against Mumbai as well. 

R D Gaikwad 101 runs in 87 balls (14x4, 2x6) Maharashtra 176/1 #MUMvMAH #RanjiTrophy #Elite Scorecard:https://t.co/l7QWZwMQUU

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 20, 2024

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Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to lead the India A team

Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to lead the India A team on the tour of Australia later this month as well. Apart from Gaikwad, the 15-man squad includes other batters like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan. Moreover, India will likely need to name a reserve Test opener for the Australia series, considering Rohit Sharma set to miss one of the first two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for personal reasons as well.

The matches against Australia A could give match practice, or act as an audition, for a few of the backup players likely to be added to the Test squad and it could be helpful for Gaikwad as well.