Ruturaj Gaikwad shines in Ranji Trophy, scores 89 against Baroda
What's the story
Maharashtra's talented cricketer Ruturaj Gaikwad produced an impressive performance in the ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Baroda.
Although he missed a century by just 11 runs, his aggressive innings of 89 off 83 balls was the highlight of the day.
The performance comes at a time when Gaikwad is working hard to seal his spot in India's squad in all three formats.
Initial struggle
Gaikwad's performance in the 1st innings
In the first innings of the match, Gaikwad had a tough time with his form and was dismissed for a mere 10 runs off 21 balls.
However, he made a strong comeback in the second innings.
He scored a quickfire half-century off just 39 balls as he played several elegant shots during his stay.
This aggressive approach highlighted his potential as a formidable batter in domestic cricket.
Team performance
Maharashtra dominates against Baroda
In the ongoing Ranji Trophy match, Maharashtra have taken a commanding position against Baroda.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, they posted a total of 297 runs in their first innings.
Saurabh Naval (83) and Siddhesh Veer (48) were the top scorers for Maharashtra.
Atit Sheth from Baroda took six wickets in the first innings, while Krunal Pandya claimed one scalp.
Match progress
Baroda's struggle and Maharashtra's lead
In reply to Maharashtra's first innings score, Baroda were bundled out for a paltry 145 runs.
Mitesh Patel (61) and Mahesh Pithia (36) were the only notable contributors for Baroda.
Mukesh Choudhary from Maharashtra took three wickets in the first innings, while Rajneesh Gurbani and Ramkrishna Ghosh took two wickets each.
This performance helped Maharashtra take a massive lead of 152 runs after the first innings.
Career
14th fifty in FC cricket
Gaikwad's 83-ball 89 was laced with 14 fours and two sixes.
Coming to his First-Class stats, Gaikwad registered his 14th half-century in the format.
He also has seven tons to his name. In 38 matches, the Maharashtra batter has propelled to 2,632 runs in red-ball cricket.
The opener carries an average of over 41. Gaikwad, who has represented India in six ODIs and 23 T20Is, is yet to feature in Test cricket.