Right-handed Indian cricketer Ruturaj Gaikwad has quickly climbed the ranks in both domestic cricket and the Indian cricket team.
His journey to prominence began in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he emerged as the third-highest run-scorer while displaying reliable but impressive batting ability. After this, Gaikwad was selected for the Indian A team, where he made important performances against Sri Lanka A and West Indies A.
The top-order batter initially attracted the limelight in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, when he finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the competition. His ability to play reliable, risk-free cricket but scoring at a respectable rate soon caught the eye. He was drafted into the Indian A side and produced some crucial knocks during the home series against Sri Lanka A and against West Indies A.
His impressive performance saw him getting a contract with Chennai Super Kings and the move helped him polish his game further. He was sold to CSK for his base price of Rs 20 lakh in the 2019 IPL auction, although he mainly remained on the bench in his first season. In the second season once again he appeared sporadically, although he aggregated 204 runs in six innings with three fifty-plus scores.
IPL 2021 proved to be a breakthrough for Gaikwad, as he was promoted to a first-team role for CSK. He repaid the faith with brilliant performances and earned the Orange Cap as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. Gaikwad scored 635 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 136.26, which included four half-centuries and one century. CSK retained him for the next two seasons considering his consistency.
Due to his excellent performance in domestic cricket and IPL, Gaikwad got a place in the national team in both the formats. He made his T20 debut against Sri Lanka on 28 July 2021, followed by his debut against South Africa on 6 October 2022.
