After once again getting ignored by the national selectors in India's 15-member squad for Asia Cup 2025, Ruturaj Gaikwad has given a fgfantastic performance with the bat for Maharashtra in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament against Himachal Pradesh. The 27-year-old came out to bat at the No.3 position and formed a massive partnership with Arshin Kulkarni.
Both of them would eventually go on to score centuries with Gaikwad moving into triple figures after facing 122 deliveries. This century will be a massive confidence booster for Gaikwad, who had struggled to score in the previous match of the tournament against Chhattisgarh. The batter had recorded scores of 1 and 11 in the last match, but managed to improve his performance drastically in the very next game.
Gaikwad added 220 runs alongside Kulkarni for the second wicket. The latter would eventually be dismissed on 146, however this didn't stop the former from continuing to punish the opposing bowlers. Gaikwad kept on going and looked set to cross the 150-run mark, but his inning was cut short by Prince Thakur, who dismissed him for 133 runs. The brilliant knock included 10 boundaries and four maximums.
Thanks to centuries from both Gaikwad and Kulkarni, Maharashtra managed to cross the 350-run mark for the loss of just three wickets. It is now the responsibility of the remaining batters to take the side's total as far as they can.
Gaikwad last played for India in 2024
Meanwhile, Gaikwad really needed a knock like this to grab the attention of the selectors. The batter's last appearance for India came in a T20I against Zimbabwe which was held in July, 2024. He had the chance of impressing in IPL 2025, but an elbow fracture ruled him out mid-way through the tournament. The Chennai Super Kings captain had to sit on the sidelines for majority of the side's campaign as they ended up bottom of the standings with just 8 points from 14 matches.