Ruturaj Gaikwad smashes third consecutive hundred in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22

There’s no one stopping Ruturaj Gaikwad! Not it 2021 at least. The Maharashtra captain continued his merry way and scored his third consecutive century in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Kerala was the latest team to become victim of Gaikwad’s brilliance. Batting first at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot, Maharashtra scored 291/8 from their 50 overs as Gaikwad hit a fantastic 124 off 129 deliveries.

Notably, Maharashtra got off to a dismal start, losing two wickets with just 22 runs on the board. However, Gaikwad joined forces with Rahul Tripathi and it was one-way traffic since then. Both batters were watchful at the start but shifted gears as the game progressed. They added 195 runs before Tripathi was dismissed by MD Nidheesh.

Ruturaj Gaikwad continues his purple patch

Notably, Tripathi missed out on his second List A century by just one run. The dasher scored 99 off 108 deliveries, scoring 11 boundaries in the process. However, Gaikwad held his nerves and brought up yet another three-figure score. The right-handed batter smashed nine boundaries and three sixes during the course of his sensational knock.

Suresh Vishweshwar did bring an end to Gaikwad’s stay but not before the 24-year-old scored 124 runs. Speaking of the batter’s other two hundreds, the opener scored 136 off 112 balls, helping his team chase down 329 against Madhya Pradesh in the season opener. Maharashtra won the match by five wickets with just two deliveries to spare.

He was even more dominating in the next game as he scored an unbeaten 154 off 143 deliveries as Maharashtra beat Chhattisgarh by eight wickets. Gaikwad’s innings helped his side chase down the target of 276 in just 47 overs. With 414 runs, the youngster is also the leading run-scorer of List-A tournament at the moment.

Gaikwad would like to extend his run-scoring spree to stake a claim in the national team. Notably, the batter was on a roll in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), where he finished as the highest run-getter. As he continues to pile up runs in the domestic arena, ignoring him won’t be easy for selectors. Meanwhile, India is set to play a three-match ODI series against South Africa in January next year. Gaikwad is all but likely to feature in that series.