On Day 1 of the second semi-final between West Zone and Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B in Bengaluru, star batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad scored an outstanding century. Gaikwad, who batted at No. 4 in the first session of the crucial penultimate match against the Rajat Patidar-led team, achieved his seventh century in First-Class cricket.
The Pune native was understandably cautious of the new ball and held together at one end even though Harvik Desai (1 off 4) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (4 off 3) took early wickets. The West Zone dugout applauded his strong knock, since only 28 of his 100 runs came against the pacers. Especially in the post-lunch period, he hammered the spinners.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was at 55 out of 86 when lunch was called.
On his 131st delivery, he reached his tonne while hitting 13 fours. Harsh Dubey’s left-arm spin allowed the Chennai Super Kings captain to drive through the cover area and reach the historic monument. When facing the spinners, the Maharashtra batter’s stroke selection was far more fluid.
Given the current state of the game, West Zone chose to bat first after winning the toss. Jaiswal and Harvik were eliminated early in the day by two strikes by Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar. Aarya Desai was defeated by a faster one from Harsh Dubey (39 off 84). Before being removed for 25 off 28, Shreyas Iyer had a respectable appearance at the crease.
It was a very frustrating occurrence for both Ruturaj Gaikwad and CSK as he was unable to play in most of the 2025 Indian Premier League because of an elbow fracture. For the rest of the season, MS Dhoni, the five-time winning captain and star wicketkeeper, led the Men in Yellow. For the first time, CSK finished up at the bottom. The star hitter will now look to bounce back stronger and, ideally, injury-free in the upcoming season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has not yet represented India in Test cricket. A few home Test series against South Africa and the West Indies are forthcoming. Fans and numerous cricket commentators who follow Indian domestic cricket believe that if the star batter maintains this kind of form, he would eventually receive his long-overdue call-up.
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