Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his fine form in white-ball cricket and hit his maiden One Day International hundred in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3. He reached the milestone in just 77 balls, anchoring India’s innings after South Africa won the toss and opted to field at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in the second ODI of the three-match series.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli put on a show for a busy weekday, displaying sensational timing and controlled aggression. Ruturaj was in his element and showed why he is regarded as one of the silkiest batsmen in the modern game. He reached his fifty off 52 balls before shifting gears to get another fifty in just 25 deliveries.
Both Kohli and Gaikwad scored their hundreds. When Ruturaj reached the milestone, Kohli hugged and applauded the 28-year-old before letting him soak up the crowd’s appreciation.
Meanwhile, Kohli, celebrated his hundred in an aggressive manner once more when he crossed the three-figure mark for the fifty-third time in his ODI career.
IND vs SA, 2nd ODI Update
The Chennai Super Kings captain took on Keshav Maharaj in the middle overs, taking 16 runs off the left-arm spinner in the 28th over. From that point on, Gaikwad didn’t look back as he found boundaries at will and raced towards his hundred.
Ruturaj had the best guide by his side as he put on a 195-run stand with Kohli. Kohli looked sensational and continued from where he left off in the Ranchi ODI where he made a match winning 135.
Both looked calm against both pace and spin. Ruturaj found boundaries with ease and showed the world why he is rated as one of the best cricketers in the country.
Ruturaj was given a rare opportunity in the ODI side due to injuries to designated captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, both ruled out of the series.
He was picked in the ODI squad after a strong performance for India A against South Africa A in three unofficial ODIs last month. Ruturaj hit a hundred and fifty to grab the attention of the selectors.
Although the Chennai Super Kings bat usually opens for his state team and India A, he has not found a place at the top of the order. However, the team management made sure to capitalize on his red-hot form by slotting him into the middle order. While he couldn’t get going in the first ODI in Ranchi, in Raipur Ruturaj looked in complete control.
The team management deserves credit for pushing Ruturaj out of his comfort zone and giving him an opportunity in the middle order when he was in such good rhythm.
With his maiden ODI hundred, Ruturaj became the first Indian batsman to score a century at No.4 since the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup. Now he has put his name firmly in the mix, sending a reminder to the selectors that he remains a strong contender even with the return of big guns Gill and Shreyas.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
December 3, 2025
