India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad roared back to form on his return to action in the ongoing Duleep Trophy as he smashed a century on Day 1 of the second semifinal between West Zone and Central Zone at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence Ground B in Bengaluru. It was Ruturaj Gaikwad‘s eighth career First-Class century, en route to 184 off 206, and it came in his first appearance since being ruled out of the IPL 2025 with an injury.
The Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had suffered an elbow fracture during the IPL season earlier this year and was ruled out. MS Dhoni was named interim lead for the remainder of the campaign, during which the five-time champions finished at the bottom of the table.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was then picked in the India A squad for the tour of England, but failed to get game time. He was later expected to link up with Yorkshire ahead of their County Championship fixture against Surrey, set to begin on Tuesday, July 22, at the North Marine Road Ground in Scarborough, but pulled out of the stint at the last minute for “personal reasons.”
Returning to action in the opening tournament of the domestic season, Ruturaj Gaikwad walked in at No. 4 against the Rajat Patidar-led side after the early dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal (4 off 3) and Harvik Desai (1 off 4). The 28-year-old showed no mercy against the spinners on the Bengaluru track, especially in the post-lunch session, as he raced from 55 from 86 at the end of the second session on Day 1 to reach the triple figure mark on the 131st delivery. He got to the mark with a cover drive against left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey.
The century could not have come at a better time for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who can still force his way into the Indian Test team, with the home series against West Indies coming up early next month.
Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad on Saturday, September 6, was dropped from the India A squad for the upcoming two unofficial Tests against Australia A. The 28-year-old right-handed batter from Maharashtra Ruturaj Gaikwad , who has scored 2816 runs in 66 innings of 39 first-class matches played so far, was part of the India A squad in the two unofficial Tests against England Lions in the first half of 2025 but is not picked in the Shreyas Iyer-led side for the upcoming two matches in Lucknow.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who didn’t get a chance to play any match against England Lions in the away series, made a case for selection in the India A squad by scoring 184 runs from 206 balls for the West Zone side in the first innings of their Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinal against Central Zone in Bengaluru on Thursday, but despite that, he was snubbed.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who captains CSK in the IPL and has made six ODI and 23 T20I appearances for Team India, last played for the Men in Blue in July 2024 against Zimbabwe during the five-match T20I series in Harare.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar emerged as two of the best batters in the Duleep Trophy. The former scored 200 runs (184 and 16) against the West Zone. The latter has played just three innings and amassed 268 runs with one hundred and two fifties while playing for Central Zone.
But neither has made the squad for India A for the upcoming Australia A series. Why is thatSurely domestic performers should be rewarded. But there’s a reason why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t done it. Former Indian player Ajay Jadeja now explains the reason for Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission for the Asia Cup 2025.
I had supported Ruturaj Gaikwad- Ajay Jadeja
Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja has reacted to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission from India’s 15-man- Asia Cup 2025 squad . Replying to a fan’s query on X (formerly Twitter), The 54-year-old saidthat thre was no end to an debate, regarding the selection and omission of Players in India when only 11 could feature in a Playing XI.
Ajay Jadeja admitted that he had vouched for Ruturaj Gaikwad’s selection in the India’s squad for the continental tournament. He admitted that he kept selectors on a high pedestal for the job they do in choosing teams. The 54-year-old said on Sony Sports :
“This is what makes selection unique. You can form any team you wish, regardless of who the selectors are. Those who have been selectors, I keep them on a high pedestal. You can select whatever team you want, the one that is sitting outside will always have a question in his/her mind saying,
‘Why hasn’t this player been picked? Or that player been picked.’ The second XI that has been picked also raises questions about those who have gone there to play. These questions will never end. But I agree with him, and if you saw the show, I had supported Ruturaj”.
“When you get a chance to play, ensure you score enough runs or take enough wickets that you don’t have to face any problems. Because this is inevitable. Only 11 get to play from lakhs of players. The ones who got to play are fortunate.”
The century could not have come at a better time for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who can still force his way into the Indian Test team, with the home series against West Indies coming up early next month. If Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has yet to make his debut for India in the traditional format, can keep up with his form, he could earn a well-deserved call-up for the Windies series or even the one against South Africa.
For the unversed, he had earned his maiden India call-up for Test cricket in 2023, for the series against West Indies. Overall, he has played six ODIs and 23 T20Is for India, and also led the team to win the Asian Games gold medal in men’s cricket in 2022.
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