Ruturaj Gaikwad has thrown his hat in the ring for a maiden Test call-up in the IND vs WI series that will commence on October 2. The West Zone batter played a lone warrior’s knock in the semi-final 2 of the Duleep Trophy between West Zone and Central Zone. The CSK skipper smashed a century off 131 deliveries, emerging as the standout player in the game while other batters walked in and out.
Gaikwad throws hat in ring for IND vs WI Tests
Coming out to bat at number 4, Gaikwad instrumental in helping West Zone recover in the semi-final after losing two early wickets. The Maharashtra batter’s 131-ball hundred was studded with 13 fours while he faced over 120 deliveries. Ruturaj was last seen in action during IPL 2025 on April 8 following which an injury forced him to be on the sidelines for the remainder of the tournament.
It is pertinent to point out that Gaikwad’s call-up to the Test team remains a distant dream at the moment. Team India already have Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as their designated openers in the red-ball format. The number three and four spots are also occupied. At this point, Gaikwad stands no chance of making it to the Indian team, unless the selectors want to think out of the box.
In the last Ranji Trophy season, Gaikwad managed to score 330 runs from 5 innings, including one century and two half-centuries. However, despite amassing 2632 runs from 38 first-class matches at an average of 41.97, he is yet to find a breakthrough to the Indian Test team.
India cricket team’s next Test series will be a two-match affair with West Indies in October. That will be followed by a similar series against South Africa in November.
