Gaikwad scored 105 off 83 balls while batting at No. 4 in the second ODI against South Africa.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has thrown his weight behind Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying that latter should get a longer rope in the ODI side following his maiden ton against South Africa at Raipur on Wednesday (December 3).
Gaikwad, who opens the innings in List A cricket, repaid the faith of the team management as he adapted to the No. 4 role by hitting 105 off 83 balls in his 8th ODI appearance.
His knock was studded with 12 fours and two sixes, at a strike-rate of 126.51. He reached his fifty off 52 balls, before accelerating in superb fashion to notch up his first ODI century in just 77 deliveries.
Gaikwad got this opportunity because ODI mainstays, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, were out due to injuries. The 28-year-old made most of this chance in the second ODI after a failure in the series opener at Ranchi, where he could score just eight runs.
"There are some players where the outside noise immediately gets to their neck. Some get the noise that they are very talented and should be given a long rope. But I do not know why, how and where that noise comes from. For Ruturaj, when he performed well, he never got the long run. Sometimes he has also been injured, which is unfortunate," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
"But you do not have to look at him with such impatience. Ruturaj has all the possibilities to bat at number four. He can play seamers well. The only way to get him out if the ball swings initially. That will get eliminated if he bats at number four. Spin, no one can play better than him. He is also very quick on his feet and runs very well between the wickets. He has every shot in the book. Beyond this, a player does not need to prove anything else to bat at No. 4."
"Even if Shreyas Iyer comes back, you can still accommodate Ruturaj. Would you want to push Ruturaj up the order, or even Virat can do that, batting up the order. He has done it in T20s. A player with such a pedigree like Ruturaj must be given a long run," he added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was involved in a huge 195-run third-wicket stand with batting stalwart Virat Kohli, who scored his 53rd ODI century and second consecutive in the ongoing series against South Africa.
Ashwin also seemed to have enjoyed the 195-run partnership between Virat and Ruturaj, a new all-time record for any wicket in India-South Africa ODIs, noting how they complemented each other well.
Ashwin offered a detailed assessment of the Gaikwad-Kohli partnership, saying: "Both batted brilliantly, what complementary batting. But it was totally trumped by South Africa. Though their knocks went in vain, their combination got set superbly. Maharaj has been a linchpin for South Africa, but once Ruturaj took him down, he had no answers. Virat Kohli's solidity and Ruturaj Gaikwad's play against spin should be spoken about. Without Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj has shown he can play in double gear."
Gaikwad and Kohli’s hundreds went in vain as South Africa rode on Aiden Markram’s ton (110 off 98) and crucial contributions from Matthew Breetzke (68 off 64), Dewald Brevis (54 off 34) and Corbin Bosch (29* off 15) to overhaul the formidable 359-run target with four wickets and as many deliveries to spare, leveling the series 1-1.
The series-deciding third ODI will take place in Visakhapatnam on Saturday (December 6).