Ruturaj Gaikwad rose to fame after winning the Orange Cap in the Indian Premier League 2021, and Chennai Super Kings have retained him for the following seasons alongside three international stars. The player has continued his form in the domestic circuit and has scored a lot of runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In this piece, we analyze his performance and how his stats are worthy of a place in the Indian Team
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22
It was almost obvious for a batter who dominated an IPL season to score impactful runs for his domestic side. Gaikwad was also leading Maharashtra and scored three fifties in five matches. Being the ninth highest run-getter in a domestic season might not be that big an achievement, but Gaikwad missed the knockout stages as he was in the India squad for the New Zealand series. Maharashtra did lose to Vidarbha in the preliminary quarter-final, and Gaikwad’s absence was surely felt. Apart from the other IPL star, Rahul Tripathi, no one could get going for Maharashtra. No other player from Maharashtra crossed the 200-run mark for the season.
The highest run-getter for the season, Tanmay Agarwal, had 334 runs in seven innings, Gaikwad had 259 in five innings and both had a similar strike rate. Given the confidence and the form of the CSK player, it would not have been a big task for him to score those 75 runs in a couple of innings, if he was not warming the bench for India.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22
Gaikwad is not just performing in the shortest format but is also breaking records in the 50-over competition. Four centuries in five matches, two of which were 150+ scores, has surely helped his case in terms of selection for the Indian Cricket Team. The batter equaled the record for the most centuries in one season (four) of Vijay Hazare Trophy and joined a list that has names like Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal.
Kohli and Shaw were the leading run-scorers in their respective seasons, whereas Padikkal was behind Shaw in that list. A stat to pay attention to is the number of runs scored by the second-highest run-getter in that season. Kohli’s 534 was followed by 429, and Shaw’s 827 was followed by Padikkal’s 737, whereas Gaikwad scored 603 runs and the batter to follow him had 379 runs – a huge gap. Though both the batters won’t be playing the next stage of the tournament as their respective teams failed to qualify.
Dominating the best bowlers
A batter might be able to score a mountain of runs in a domestic season but struggle against quality bowlers. Gaikwad’s IPL heroics have ensured that there is no doubt about the batter’s ability. He made runs in different situations in the IPL. His 88 against MI in the first match after the resumption, when CSK were down and out, was probably his best innings in the tournament. Playing against the former champions, Mumbai Indians, and taking your team to a respectable total after an early collapse speaks not only about the talent of the player but also his temperament.
Conclusion
Some players perform in IPL to get a chance in the Indian team, while some do it through the domestic circuit. Gaikwad has been able to perform consistently in both for 4-5 months and has a calm mind on his shoulder, which will help him sort out the weaknesses in his game. The batter is 24 years old, probably the best time to get him into the Indian side and give a long run. Overall, Gaikwad has played 64 List A matches and has an average of 54 with a strike rate of 100. He did play two T20Is against Sri Lanka, but an ODI debut should be near the corner for the player, as all the stats are in his favor.