The Mahrashtra batter is nowhere close to his best few years ago
Maharashtra batter Ruturaj Gaikwad was practically unstoppable between 2021 and 2023. The right hander was stacking up record after record with his batting exploits in the domestic circuit.
He was the highest runscorer in 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy with a tally of 603 runs from just five matches at an average of 150 including four hundreds. In the same season in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy the top-order batter averaged 59 from five innings when he scored 259 runs striking at 146.
It was very clear why Mahendra Singh Dhoni had such immense faith in the youngster as he promoted to the top of the order for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021, smashing 635 runs from 16 matches at a strike rate of 136 and scoring four big fifties and a hundred in their run to the fourth title.
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CSK went with the strategy of playing the middle overs with the top order intact and then sending the big guns at the end. Even though he is not the hardest striker of the ball, Gaikwad had placement and game-reading skills which made him perfect for the opener’s role. His only competition for the coveted Orange Cap was his opening partner Faf du Plessis who finished just two runs behind.
Gaikwad was rewarded immediately for his exploits with a T20I debut against Sri Lanka in July, 2021.
His star rose even further in the 2022 season where he scored 600-plus runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, this time 660 from five matches. This season included an unbeaten 220 against Uttar Pradesh where he clobbered pacer Shiva Singh for a staggering 42 runs, the only time a single player has hit seven sixes in a single over of a List-A game. His tournament average of 220 also felt unbreakable until Karun Nair’s exploits in the 2024-25 season.
He was also in fine touch in the SMAT, scoring 295 from five innings at a strike rate of 146 adding two more T20 hundreds to his name.
In the IPL 2022, he missed out a third hundred in the format but finished with 368 runs from 14 matches. CSK were in woeful form that year when the league expanded to 10 teams, finishing just above arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in 10th.
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By the end of the year, Ruturaj felt like a regular in the Indian team having made his ODI debut and played in three T20I series with the main team.
The 2023 season, yet again turned out to be gold for Ruturaj as he won his second IPL title with CSK, finishing with 590 runs from 15 matches including four fifties. He amassed a total of 224 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy from five innings, at an average of 61. Despite few injury troubles, it was a satisfactory run for the Pune lad.
Troubles began at the end of 2023 when he suffered a finger injury during the series against South Africa due to which he was ruled out until February, 2024. Ever since, the decline was steep. From seven innings in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gaikwad managed just 194 runs off which 148 runs were scored in the group game against Services.
In Friday’s semifinal against Vidarbha, Maharashtra were chasing a massive total of 381 when they needed their skipper to bring out his best performance. But Gaikwad was sent back for just 7 off 13 in the third over.
It was a similar pattern to his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he scored 123 runs from five games off 97 runs came against Services. It is a worrying sign for CSK who retained him for INR 18 crore ahead of the auction.
Gaikwad couldn’t help himself from flinging some banter when his mic was turned off when he started addressing the event. When someone asked “How can you turn off Ruturaj’s mic?” the 28-year-old replied “Might be someone from RCB” which was met with a peals of laughter.
Even though there was no malice in his joke, it came back to bite Gaikwad months later. RCB’s official twitter handle took it upon themselves to quote “It is someone from RCB” while showcasing their new recruit Jitesh Sharma dismissing Gaikwad in the semifinal with a stunning catch.
There is no rule that someone who fails in the domestic circuit also in the IPL and vice versa. But for now, CSK needs to be worried about their star batter’s form in preparation for IPL 2025.
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