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Maiden ODI century alert! Ruturaj Gaikwad proves his critics wrong with rampant batting display

Rajgeeta Yadav

Ruturaj Gaikwad scores maiden century [Source: AFP]Ruturaj Gaikwad scores maiden century [Source: AFP]

Ruturaj Gaikwad made the most of his chance by scoring his maiden ODI century in the second match against South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3. It was a big moment for him, especially because he had returned to India’s ODI squad after two years and had failed to make an impact in the first match in Ranchi.

South Africa decided to bowl first, and India sent out Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the innings. The start was steady but not strong. Rohit was dismissed for 14 runs by Nandre Burger, and soon after, Jaiswal also fell for 22. With India losing both openers early, the pressure was on the middle order to step up.

Ruturaj walked in at number four and took his time to settle. He played calmly at first, focusing on building his innings rather than taking risks. As he spent more time at the crease, his confidence grew, and his shots became more fluent. Before long, he looked completely in control.

Gaikwad scores his maiden ODI century

The big moment came in the 34th over of India’s innings. Gaikwad faced Corbin Bosch, who bowled a short ball on middle stump. He moved back, pulled it firmly toward deep mid-wicket, and sent the ball to the boundary. With that four, he reached his well-earned century off just 77 balls, a star studded innings that included 7 fours and 2 sixes.

It was an emotional moment. Gaikwad tried to hide his tears as he jumped in joy. He shared a warm hug with Virat Kohli, who was also closing in on his own hundred. Notably, both batters were in brilliant form and had built a solid 195-run partnership.

Their stand also created history: they now hold the record for the highest partnership for India vs South Africa in an ODI (for any wicket), surpassing the 194-run stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik in Gwalior in 2010.

Meanwhile, India looked set for a big total, aiming for the 300-run mark. At 35.4 overs, they are placed at 257 for 3, thanks to the remarkable efforts of Ruturaj and Kohli.