Continuing his rich vein of form, Maharashtra opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on Tuesday smashed his fourth century in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2021-22, making a strong case for selection in the Indian team for the upcoming three-match ODI series against the hosts South Africa.
Ruturaj, who is also the captain of Maharashtra, slammed 168 off 132, with the help of 12 fours and six sixes against Chandigarh at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
Earlier in the tournament, the 24-year-old scored 124 off 129 against Kerala, 136 from just 112 balls against Madhya Pradesh, and 154 in 143 balls against Chattisgarh.
Gaikwad also became the first player to complete 600 runs to the current VHT, and with every passing game, he is making his case even stronger for the South Africa tour. He is one of the top contenders to replace out of form Shikhar Dhawan.
Here’s how fans reacted to Gaikwad’s red hot form:
4th 100 and 2nd 150+ in 5 matches for Ruturaj Gaikwad. Started scoring runs & hasn't looked back ever since. Roughly need 240+ runs to set a new record for the most runs in a single season of VHT. Man's not knocking anymore. He's literally kicking the door open at the right time. pic.twitter.com/UydBs7GZdp
— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) December 14, 2021
Running out of words, but keep the runs coming @Ruutu1331 🚀⚡#VijayHazareTrophy #WhistlePodu 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/JUeYmtJLX7
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 14, 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad in Vijay Hazare 2021-22:
136(112)
154*(143)
124(129)
21(18)
100*(95) batting4th hundred from five matches in VHT – Captain Rutu leading Maharashtra from front with the bat.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 14, 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad scores his fourth century in five matches in #VijayHazareTrophy
Get him to South Africa and start him in the ODI series!
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) December 14, 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad with his 4th Hundred in just 5 matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Haven't seen many 24-year-olds who are so complete as batters. Just get this lad into the Indian ODI setup right now!
— Prasenjit Dey (@CricPrasen) December 14, 2021
4th century for Ruturaj Gaikwad in ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22. pic.twitter.com/zrOcTQgrnb
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) December 14, 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad completed 600 runs in Vijay Hazare 2021 in just 5 matches. 🦁💥#WhistlePodu | @ChennaiIPL
— CSK Fans Army™ (@CSKFansArmy) December 14, 2021
I saw a Brock Lesnar inside Ruturaj Gaikwad 🥵🔥
EAT SLEEP C̶O̶N̶Q̶U̶E̶R̶ SCORE-CENTURY REPEAT ! 😈💥 pic.twitter.com/Uyf7Cici3M
— Shafin🗡️🦁💥 (@Shafin2104) December 14, 2021
Wake up, score century, sleep. Repeat!
Unreal man @Ruutu1331 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4BVfhd4lPZ— Achhu (@Achhyuthaa) December 14, 2021
Ruturaj Gaikwad's Year 2021
In IPL
635 Runs – 45.36 Avg – 136.27 SR
4 Fifties, 1 HundredIn SMAT
256 Runs – 64 Avg – 155.1 SR | 3 – 50'sIn Vijay Hazare
603 Runs | 2 – 150's | 2 – 100's#WhistlePodu | #IPL2021 | #CSK— MSDian™ (@ItzThanesh) December 14, 2021
🏏😎 KICKING DOORS OPEN! Ruturaj seems to be in the form of his life right now, with 4️⃣ centuries in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22.
📷 BCCI • #ruturajgaikwad #vijayhazare #vijayhazaretrophy #TeamIndia #BharatArmy pic.twitter.com/o5I3xZJkWp
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) December 14, 2021
Yet another Century For Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Scored 500+ Runs with Avg Over 150+
In #VijayHazareTrophy2021 @Ruutu1331 is in Red Hot Form With Bat 🔥💛 pic.twitter.com/vRqVQfanXp— DHONI GIFS™ (@Dhoni_Gifs) December 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/CricHarsha/status/1470696419233128450
India squad for South Africa ODIs will be announced this weekend.
