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Team India batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad completed his maiden ODI century during the second match against South Africa at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3. Fans were happy as the batsman made the most of the opportunity in his comeback series.

Gaikwad returned to India’s ODI squad for the first time since 2023 after impressing in the India A series against South Africa A, where he scored 117, 68 not out and 25. However, the young batsman could not maintain that form in the opening ODI in Ranchi and could only score 8 runs off 14 balls.

Ruturaj Gaikwad walks after two early powerplay wickets

India made a positive start after being invited to bat first. The Men in Blue lost openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma inside the powerplay. Rohit was dismissed by left arm fast bowler Nandre Berger on 14 runs.

Virat Kohli came in and looked confident immediately. He started his innings by hitting a six off Lungi Ngidi and took the scoreboard forward. Meanwhile, Jaiswal could not convert his start into a big score and was out for 22 after struggling to find rhythm.

After the early dismissals of both the openers, India needed someone to steady the innings. After this Ruturaj Gaikwad joined Kohli. He had good luck in the early going, scoring runs from a few edges, including a top-edge six. He completed his half-century in 52 balls and helped India rebuild the innings after early setbacks.

Ruturaj Gaikwad completed his first century in ODI cricket

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his first ODI century in the 34th over of India’s innings. This right-handed batsman reached this milestone under pressure in just 77 balls.

Gaikwad changed gears after completing his half-century. He completed his century with a pull shot for four runs off Corbin Bosch. As soon as he reached the historic venue, he took off his helmet, picked up his bat and burst into thunderous cheers from the Raipur crowd.

Virat Kohli immediately came forward and hugged him tightly. The Indian dressing room also stood up and applauded. It was an emotional moment for Gaikwad. However, he was out after scoring 105 runs off 83 balls and was given a standing ovation by the crowd.

Fans applaud Ruturaj Gaikwad after his maiden ODI century in Raipur

Also read: India lost 20th consecutive ODI toss, sequence of unwanted world records increased, KL Rahul angry

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