Ruturaj Gaikwad, who last played for India over a year ago, scored a hundred during the 2025 Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, which is serving as a warm-up for the upcoming domestic season.
Gaikwad, who is representing Maharashtra, Prithvi Shaw’s new team, in the tournament, did not have the greatest start in the competition. He made 1 and 11 in the defeat in the first round, against Chhattisgarh. The match had come down to the first innings difference, after both sides made 149 all out in their second. Chhattisgarh edged ahead by 35 runs having scored 252 in the first innings.
Gaikwad did not play the second match, against TNCA President’s XI, but marked a comeback in the third-round fixture, against Himachal Pradesh, which began on August 26 (Tuesday). Maharashtra won the toss and opted to bat first, and lost Siddhesh Veer for 22, but opener Arshin Kulkarni, along with Gaikwad, stitched together a 220-run stand. Both brought up their respective hundreds, with the latter reaching the feat in 122 balls.
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Kulkarni departed for 146, but Gaikwad is unbeaten on 133 at the time of writing. He has hit four sixes along with ten fours in 142 deliveries so far, at a strike rate of 94.
What is Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first-class record?
Gaikwad has 2,632 runs at an average of 41.77 in the format. The 28-year-old made his red-ball debut in 2016 and has played 38 games thus far, making seven tons and 14 fifties.
Gaikwad’s highest score is 195, and he had a fruitful outing in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy, making 330 runs in three games at an average of 66. He crossed fifty in three of the five innings he batted in.
Also Read: Ruturaj Gaikwad pulls out of UK county stsint due to personal reasons days before debut
The ongoing Buchi Babu tournament is not classified as a professional first-class game, however, which means his hundred today won't be added to his tally of first-class centuries.
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