New Delhi [India], January 8 : Ruturaj Gaikwad stole the show in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy with a masterclass 134 off 131 balls for Maharashtra, etching his name in the record books.
After being left out of the squad for New Zealand ODIs, Gaikwad, who had scored his maiden ODI ton against South Africa last year, delivered his second ton of the ongoing season and levelled with Ankit Bawne's record for joint-most centuries in the tournament's history, both having 15 each.
While Bawne's tons have come in 101 matches, Gaikwad took just 59 matches to reach there.
He achieved this feat against Goa in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy on Thursday. Gaikwad's statement century against Goa was not a wasted effort either.
His fighting 134* in 131 balls, with eight fours and six sixes, took Maharashtra to 249/7, with Vicky Otswal (53 in 82 balls, with two fours and two sixes) posting a valuable fifty.
Goa's run-chase saw Lalit Yadav continuing his fine run with an unbeaten 57* in 67 balls, with five fours and a six, but they fell five runs short, restricted to 244/9 by a fine four-fer from Prashant Solanki (4/56).
Gaikwad's consistency is reflected not just in his centuries but also in his numbers across formats. In 59 VHT matches, Gaikwad has slammed 3336 runs at a brilliant average of 65.41 and a strike rate of 105.00.
Despite his red-hot form in the 50-over format, Gaikwad was left out of India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting from January 11.