Ruturaj Gaikwad had a good T20I series against Zimbabwe where he finished with 133 runs at an average of 66.50 and a strike rate of almost 160.
He played four matches against Zimbabwe and batted in three of them. Gaikwad scored 7. 77* and 49 in the three matches he batted in. He has shown good responsibility with the bat while batting at number three. With Virat Kohli retired, he is an ideal replacement for Kohli at number three.
With so much competition for the opener’s spot, Gaikwad is the perfect candidate to bat at the third spot. He has a calm head and can also anchor the innings as he did in the two innings in which he scored big.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s run of success began in IPL 2024 where he scored 583 runs in 14 matches and finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He averaged 53.00 in the tournament.
Recently, Harsha Bhogle in a conversation with Cricbuzz spoke highly of him saying that he is batting at a different level and is the next superstar.
Harsha Bhogle on Ruturaj Gaikwad
“If you were to come out of nowhere and see Ruturaj Gaikwad batting in his last 3-4 matches and say that if he is not making it to the team then this Indian team must be from another planet. He is the next superstar,” he told Cricbuzz.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from T20Is, Gaikwad surely has a chance to cement his place in the team at least as a number three batsman. He is a specialist opening batsman but might need to adjust his game batting at number three. He did that wonderfully in the series against Zimbabwe.
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His performances should help him retain his place in the squad for the series against Sri Lanka. He did not find a place in India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup but can certainly challenge for some spots for the 2026 edition of the tournament.
He led the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024. Although the team did not make it to the round of 16, in Gaikwad, CSK had found a long-term captain after MS Dhoni. The Indian management should also keep a close eye on his leadership skills and potentially groom him for that role. He has been a consistent run-scorer in the IPL and thrived in scoring runs even in his captaincy role, which adds another aspect to his game.
Amit Mishra backs Ruturaj Gaikwad over Shubman Gill as India’s next captain
Meanwhile, Amit Mishra, in his recent interaction with Shubhankar Mishra, also spoke about the recently concluded T20I series in Zimbabwe. Talking about Gaikwad, he said that he is a better choice for a leadership role in the Indian team than Shubman Gill. His comments came after India won the T20I series under Gill’s captaincy.
“The Indian team made him (Gill) captain because they want to give him the leadership experience, which was not visible when he led Gujarat Titans in the IPL,” he said.
“There are Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who can lead India in T20Is,” Mishra said of viable options for future captains.
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