Ruturaj Gaikwad reached his maiden ODI ton in just 77 balls.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was the toast of the nation after scoring his first ODI century in the ongoing second ODI between India and South Africa. This match is being played on December 3, 2025, at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.
India's stand-in captain, KL Rahul, lost the coin toss, and South Africa's captain, Temba Bavuma, elected to bowl first, citing dew in the evening. South Africa made three changes to their starting XI, with Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj, and Lungi Ngidi replacing Ryan Rickleton, Ottneil Baartman, and Prenelan Subrayen.
Rohit Sharma started brightly, scoring 14 in 8 balls with three consecutive boundaries, but went out the following ball, caught behind by Nandre Burger. Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to capitalize on his opportunities in ODIs, hitting 22 in 38 balls with two fours and one six before being removed by Marco Jansen.
Ruturaj Gaikwad stepped in at number four and joined Virat Kohli in the middle, and the two combined to turn the tide in India's favor. They waited till the South African bowlers were at their best before launching an attack on them.
Gaikwad was particularly severe on spinners, reaching his fifty in 52 balls. He opened the floodgates for India by hitting two fours and one six off one over from Keshav Maharaj. He charged ahead and completed his maiden ODI ton for India in just 77 balls.
He celebrated by jumping in the air with a fist pump, and then Virat Kohli joined in the celebrations, giving him a big hug. Gaikwad then took off his helmet and kissed his willow while soaking in the adulation from his teammates and fans in the Raipur stadium.
Gaikwad was finally dismissed for 105 in 83 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes.
Here is the video:
The cricket fraternity lauded Gaikwad’s innings, as he added 195 runs for the third wicket with Virat Kohli. Gaikwad received praises on social media for his sublime maiden ODI ton.
Here are the posts: