Maharashtra’s star batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad has rocked the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has so far scored three centuries in four matches in India’s biggest domestic ODI tournament. Ruturaj has scored 435 runs at an average of 145. During this his strike rate has been 108.21. The right-handed opener has hit 39 fours and 13 sixes. He has scored all three centuries against Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala. Gaikwad is currently at the top of the list of highest run-scorers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
It is believed that Gaikwad, who has scored three consecutive centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, can be given a chance in Team India for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa by Indian cricket selectors. In such a situation, the poor form of veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan can become a cause of concern for the Indian selectors, but Ruturaj can prove to be a good alternative to Dhawan.
At the same time, former Indian batsman Dilip Vengsarkar has also supported this point. He has said that Ruturaj should definitely get a chance in the ODI series against South Africa.
He said, “You must choose an in form player. How many more runs will he have to score to prove himself? This is the right time for the selectors to pick Rituraj and give him a chance to play.”
Vengsarkar further said, “Rituraj is no longer 18 or 19 years old. He is now 24 years old. He can bat well at number 3. In such a situation, there is no point in waiting for him to turn 28 to choose him.
For your information, let us tell you that Vengsarkar has scored 6868 runs in 116 Tests, 3508 runs in 129 ODIs for India. Apart from this, he has scored 17868 runs in 260 first-class matches and 4835 runs in 174 List A matches. He has scored 17 in Tests, 1 in ODIs, 55 in First Class and 1 century in List A in ODIs. Vengsarkar has scored 74 centuries in total.
