Ruturaj Gaikwad for Chennai Super Kings - (Source: AFP)
On Wednesday, November 26, the 18th edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy got underway with 38 teams fighting for the prestigious trophy. In the latest events, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has scripted history as the 28-year-old has become the second-fastest Indian to 5000 T20 runs.
Notably, Gaikwad, leading Maharashtra in the ongoing SMAT match against Jammu & Kashmir, reached this feat despite a failure with the bat as the right-handed batter returned to the pavilion with a low score of 6 (8) with a solitary boundary to his name.
Gaikwad surpasses Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill
Gaikwad beat the likes of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and now only sits behind KL Rahul. Notably, the CSK captain completed 5000 T20 runs in just 144 innings, one more than KL, who did so in 143. Here is the complete list of the fastest Indians to 5000 T20 runs.
- 143 - KL Rahul
- 144 - Ruturaj Gaikwad*
- 154 - Shubman Gill
- 167 - Virat Kohli
- 173 - Suresh Raina
Talking about Gaikwad's numbers, the CSK captain has played 144 innings and scored 5000 runs, averaging 39.33 and with a strike-rate of 140.69, which features six centuries and 35 fifties.
Ruturaj Gaikwad in red-hot form with the bat
Besides this rare failure, Ruturaj Gaikwad is in red-hot form as he amassed 210 runs in three innings, averaging 105.00. The 28-year-old slammed a century and a fifty, which also earned him a India call-up for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa starting from November 30.
It is a positive sign for Chennai Super Kings as they finished last in IPL 2025 as Gaikwad missed most of the season. However, the right-handed batter is in fine form recently which has come as a sigh of relief for the Men in Yellow.
