India A vs Sri Lanka A: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s century signals return to form

After a disconcerting IPL, Ruturaj Gaikwad finally got back his own zone with a beautiful century, scoring 101 runs against Sri Lanka A, coming at number four. In the 14 matches of IPL, Ruturaj only managed to score 337 runs with a strike rate of 123.44. His form remained a concern for the CSK management, and the low strike rate graph haunted him throughout the season. Amid all the conversations around him, Ruturaj quietly answered and came out of the bubble of pressure, which remained his partner for a while.

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The World Cup is near, and India will need some extra players for various conditions and in the middle order. Ruturaj has shown some tremendous performances with consistency; he has also hammered a century against New Zealand early in the year.

Batting first, India A scored 277 runs, losing 6 wickets. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the baby boss, struggled to announce himself on his debut match for India A. He returned to the pavilion after smashing three fours and scoring 14 runs in 12 balls. After this, Prabhsimran Singh also returned early. Then, Priyansh Arya and Ruturaj Gaikwad carried forward the innings, forming a 53-run partnership in 53 balls. Priyansh Arya failed to convert the start and returned, scoring 32 runs in 32 balls. Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad formed a castle of runs. The two most senior players formed a partnership of 150 runs in 185 balls.

A good sign for Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma

The captain and vice-captain had a solid outing in the middle. Tilak scored a steady 60 runs in 97 balls, and Ruturaj remained the main aggressor of the innings. Gaikwad decorated his century with four boundaries and three sixes with a strike rate of 88.60. After Ruturaj’s departure, Badoni and Shedge formed a quick 46-run partnership, which led India A to post a commanding 277 runs on the board.

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After the century, Ruturaj Gaikwad said to the Sony Sports Network, "I'm feeling really good today after scoring runs. But I went through a very tough phase during the IPL. I tried my best, but I couldn't score runs. It was a very difficult period in my life during that IPL season. However, after playing this innings, I'm feeling much better. I want to continue playing like this and contribute to the team."

With the world cup is near and an audition going on for the extra batter, while there are many contenders like Yashashvi Jaiswal and Rajat Patidar waiting for their chance, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma have put one step forward.