Ruturaj Gaikwad hits another swashbuckling ton days after 7 sixes in 43-run over: Watch

Ruturaj Gaikwad hit his third century in the last four List A games, en route to his massive 168 off 126 for Maharashtra during the Vijay Hazare 2022 semi-final against Assam. This came two days after the Maharashtra skipper made headlines for smashing seven sixes in a single over, while going on to score an unbeaten knock of 220 runs against Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-final. Maharashtra went on to defeat UP by 58 runs in the match and secured their quarter-final spot.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Gaikwad’s 168 on Wednesday elevated his team to the score of 350 runs at the loss of seven wickets in the first innings against Assam. Gaikwad hit a total of 14 fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 133.33 before getting dismissed by Assam’s star allrounder Riyan Parag. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) player dismissed the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star in the 45th over of the match, which reduced Maharashtra to 302/3. 

A look at Gaikwad’s dominance over opponents in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022

It is pertinent to mention that both Gaikwad and Parag are two of the best players in the current edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy so far. So far, Gaikwad’s run tally in the tournament stands at 552 runs in four games at an average of 276.00, which includes three centuries. Before coming out to bat against Maharashtra, Parag stands fifth in the list of highest run scorers behind Gaikwad, with 537 runs in eight games.

In his first Vijay Hazare Trophy this season, Ruturaj scored 124* against Railways in Ranchi, before scoring 40 runs in the next game against Bengal. He then amassed 220 runs against UP and hit 168 runs against Assam on Wednesday. On the other hand, Riyan Parag has registered impressive records in both the batting and bowling departments of the tournament. 

Riyan Parag’s impressive run as an all-rounder in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022

While he has scored a whopping 537 runs so far, his dismissal of Ruturaj was Parag’s 10th wicket for Assam this season. 21-year-old Parag made headlines for hitting the best knock of 174 runs in just 116 runs against Jammu Kashmir in the quarter-final clash. It will now be interesting to watch how the RR youngster performs with the bat against Maharashtra.