With Shreyas Iyer out of the series, injured, India slotted in Ruturaj Gaikwad at No. 4. After a failure in the first game, where India slammed 349, he has made the best of his opportunity in the next match in Raipur, slamming a sublime century against South Africa, getting to the milestone in just 77 deliveries.
It was a shaky start for the batter, with short balls troubling him initially, but he rode the tide and made it count.
Iyer had made the No. 4 slot his own. He has slammed 1,430 runs in 31 innings at an average of 55, including three tons and nine fifties in ODIs since 2022. Gaikwad, playing just his seventh innings in ODIs, by no means will be a first-choice in that position, but has certainly given India more depth.
With an average of nearly 57 and 17 centuries to his name in List A cricket, the talent to shine in the format was always there. It was all about getting an opportunity to play for India.
With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opening, Gaikwad’s chance was never going to come at the top, despite his excellent shows at that position in domestic cricket. An injury to Iyer gave him just a glimmer of hope.
Regardless of how he performs in the series, Iyer was always going to slot straight in at four once he is fit. This innings will certainly go a long way in proving that he is flexible in that batting order.
Batting with a maestro like Virat Kohli and building a massive partnership too would certainly help his confidence, which is an added bonus.
