Ruturaj Gaikwad

An elegant right-hand opening batter, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s game revolves around solid technique, especially on the backfoot. He made his debut in the 2016/17 Ranji Trophy, playing for Maharashtra. 

His debut didn’t go according to his plan, as the batter was injured while fielding in the first innings, and was unable to bat in the second innings as Maharashtra lost the match by 6 wickets.

The right-handed batter made a name for himself during the 2016/17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, when he ended as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament. Following some good performances in List-A matches, Gaikwad was picked in India B squad for the 2018/19 Deodhar Trophy, and was also part of India’s squad for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. 

Gaikwad’s temperament and technique impressed everyone, and ahead of the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, the Chennai Super Kings roped him in. He did not feature in the tournament, but he added valuable experience sitting in the dugout with some of the biggest names in world cricket.

In 2019, Gaikwad slammed an unbeaten 187 playing for India A against Sri Lanka A.

The Pune-born player was retained in the CSK squad ahead of the IPL 2020, but just before the start of the tournament, he tested positive for COVID-19. However, Gaikwad recovered well and played in the latter stages of the tournament. He was good at the top of the order, amassing 204 runs in 6 matches at an average of 51.0

Ahead of the IPL 2021, Gaikwad was retained by the franchise and further established himself on the big stage. He won the Orange Cap, scoring 635 runs, including a hundred, in 16 innings, helping CSK lift the title. After an average IPL 2022, he again ran amok in the following season, smashing close to 600 runs at a strike-rate of 147.50, taking CSK to their fifth trophy.

Gaikwad debuted in international cricket in a T20 match against Sri Lanka in July 2021. He notched up his maiden T20I fifty against South Africa in June 2022.

He was in stellar form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 and dominated the run-scoring charts, smashing four centuries in the five matches he played. In the following edition of the competition, he enjoyed an even better campaign, compiling 660 runs, including three centuries and a double-hundred, in five innings. On the way to his double-ton, he smashed seven sixes in an over to Uttar Pradesh's Shiva Singh, becoming the first batter in the limited-overs cricket to do so. He became the first batter to score four or more tons in two separate editions of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

He made his ODI debut against South Africa in October 2022. 

Gaikwad captained the Indian men’s cricket team to a gold medal in the Asian Games 2023.

He last played an international match in December 2023 versus the Proteas. He injured his finger in the fixture and missed out from making the squads for the home series’ against Afghanistan and England.

He came back in the Ranji Trophy 2024, hitting 100 runs in the only match he played against Services, with 96 being his best score.

In a news that shook the cricketing world, Mahendra Singh Dhoni handed over CSK’s leadership to Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024. Though it was a shocker to the world, it’s a perfect platform for the classy opening batter to shine as a captain for a long time.

(As of March 2024)