Ruturaj Gaikwad reacts to Tushar Deshpande’s debut in India

Tushar Deshpande made his T20I debut for India in the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe. In the game, he got the prized wicket of Sikandar Raza, which was his first T20I wicket.

The Mumbai player joined the Indian squad for this series. He was one of the many youngsters called up. The bowling group was relatively inexperienced but has lived up to expectations. After the loss in the first T20I, the team has made a good comeback and the bowlers have also responded positively.

Deshpande was handed his first international cap by Sairaj Bahutule, the bowling coach of this touring Indian team. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deshpande’s captain at Chennai Super Kings, wished him a good debut in India and attributed his success to his hard work.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad congratulated Tushar Deshpande on his Indian debut

“You really deserved it! It has always been a pleasure to see your effort and your ethics! Also, you have always been a great human being outside of cricket… I wish you more and more happiness!” Gaikwad took to his Instagram story to wish the young Indian pacer all the best.

Deshpande earned his first India call-up following his performances for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. In total, he has picked up 42 wickets in 36 matches. In 2024, he picked up 17 wickets in 13 matches. In 203, during CSK’s title-winning season, Tushar Deshpande picked up 23 wickets. The young player spoke to the BCCI after receiving his India cap and said it was a feeling of pride.

“I am very excited but speechless and also very proud. All my feelings come together and I am very happy for my father who is in Mumbai. It was our dream, our family’s dream, that I could play for the country. And this is just the beginning of my career with the support of my family and my wife who are here present. It is a proud moment for me.” said the pacemaker.

In the fourth T20I, India won the toss and asked Zimbabwe to bat first. After a good start from the openers, the team could only manage 152/7 in their 20 overs. Sikandar Raza’s 48 helped the team go past 150 while the middle order did not contribute much.

For India, Deshpande took the wicket of Raza. Khaleel Ahmed took one wicket each and Deshpande, Ravi Bishnoi Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube took one wicket each.

India won the match by 10 wickets and managed to reduce the score in less than 16 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 93 while Shubman Gill scored 58 as India gave Zimbabwe a thrashing. The win ensured a series win for India and the first as captain for Shubman Gill. Jaiswal was nominated as the Player of the Match for his aggressive batting.

“The chase was something we were talking about because we couldn’t do that in the first T20. It feels good but the job is not done, we have one more game. This is a great team. I haven’t had the conversation with the coach and if there are any changes, I will let him know at the toss,” Gill said after India’s win.

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