Former CSK spinner and six-time IPL winner Ambati Rayudu has claimed that Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to make it big in international cricket despite not being in India’s Test squad for the first Test against Bangladesh.
Rayudu has spent a lot of time with Ruturaj Gaikwad in the Chennai Super Kings dressing room and is aware of his talent. He believes Gaikwad is a world-class batsman and has enough years ahead of him to carve out a successful international career.
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Ambati Rayudu believes Ruturaj Gaikwad will be a huge success
While speaking on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket 2024 event in Delhi, Ambati Rayudu mentioned Ruturaj Gaikwad and his exceptional talent. The former CSK batsman feels that Gaikwad has enough years left in him and has the potential to make it big. Gaikwad is currently the captain of Chennai Super Kings.
“I think he has a lot of time ahead of him and there is no hurry. I would say he has all the qualities to be a first-class, world-class cricketer and he has many years ahead of him in the future and I am sure he will reach the top,” Rayudu was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Ambati Rayudu will be participating in her first season of Legends League cricket this year and will be playing for Konark Suryas Odisha. Irfan Pathan is the captain of the team. The tournament will begin in Jodhpur on September 20.
Ruturaj Gaikwad in his current state
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently playing in the Duleep Trophy for India C and is the pacer of the team. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored two fifties in India C’s last match against India B. Currently, Gaikwad is fourth in the list of highest run-scorers in the tournament with 171 runs in two Tests at an average of 73.07.
Gaikwad has been on the fringes of the Indian team across all formats. He can be a regular player for the Indian team in the future, especially in white-ball cricket. He was also picked for the final of the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) but pulled out at the last moment due to his marriage.
The 27-year-old has played 31 first-class matches and has scored 2212 runs at an average of 57.01 with the help of six hundreds. He has also played 6 ODIs and 23 T20Is so far. He has a modest record in ODIs but has a brilliant record in T20Is with 633 runs at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53 with 1 hundred and 4 fifties.
India favourites for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 – Ambati Rayudu
Meanwhile, Ambati Rayudu also predicted the winner of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India. Rayudu believes the series will be a close one but picked India as the favourite.
“I think it will be a very, very competitive match, but I think India is one of the favourites,” Rayudu said.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will be a five-match Test series that will begin in November this year. It is the most anticipated series of the year, which will pit the top two Test teams against each other.
