Not considered as Virat Kohli's replacement, Ruturaj Gaikwad shrugs off poor IPL form with century vs Sri Lanka A after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's early dismissal

Not picked initially in India’s ODI squad or India A squad for tri-nation series, Ruturaj Gaikwad has sent a message to Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with a century against Sri Lanka A in series opener on June 9 in Dambulla. After a poor run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, Gaikwad was named in India A squad as an unfit Riyan Parag’s replacement. In the tri-series opener, he arrived at the crease when teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh were dismissed cheaply. He got an early reprieve and went on to score his 21st List A century.

Gaikwad’s lucky escape and patient knock

Earlier, Tilak Varma won the toss and opted to bat first. On a tricky surface, Sooryavanshi fell for a 12-ball 14. Then Prabhsimran lost his wicket to a short ball. Gaikwad took his time while Priyansh Arya looked to attack. In the 13th over, he hit Ravindu Fernando for a six. On the next ball, Arya was run out as he responded to Gaikwad's call too late and his bat was stopped by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella’s left shoe when both batters were at one end.

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When Arya departed, Sri Lanka were 69/3. Skipper Varma joined him in the middle. Only one boundary was scored for the next 14 overs. In the 30th over, Gaikwad hit Vijayakanth Vyaskanth for a six to reach his half-century from 65 balls. In the 41st over, Varma hit a six off Garuka Sanketh to complete his half-century from 85 balls. Gaikwad looked to attack and reached the three figures in 112 balls. In the same over, he lost his wicket trying to slog-sweep. He was caught at mid-wicket by Avishka Fernando off Wanuja Sahan's bowling.

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Varma falls shortly after Gaikwad

Gaikwad's knock of 101 from 114 balls was laced with six fours and three sixes. He shared a crucial 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Varma couldn't finish with a flourish as well. He went for the unorthodox shot and got bowled. The skipper scored 60 runs from 97 balls, including two fours and a six. After his wicket, India A were 225/5. Later, cameos from Ayush Badoni (18-ball 24), Suryansh Shedge (14-ball 26) helped India A post 276/6.

Century in previous ODI innings, not picked as Kohli’s replacement

While Gaikwad was not at his best in the IPL 2026, performed well on ODI comeback last year. As an injured Shreyas Iyer's replacement, he scored 105 in his last ODI innings. When Iyer regained fitness, he did not get a chance for the ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year. Recently, he was not picked as an injured Virat Kohli’s replacement for the ODI series against Afghanistan. Instead, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was added to the squad.