Published: Jan 08, 2026, 03:11 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 08, 2026, 04:14 PM (IST)
Ruturaj Gaikwad Vijay Hazare Trophy century: Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his brilliant form in 50-over cricket by scoring his 20th List A century on Thursday. He achieved this during Maharashtra’s final league match against Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, equalling the tournament’s all-time record.
Maharashtra were already out of the race for the knockouts and suffered a poor start to their innings. The team lost three wickets for just two runs. Coming in at number five, Gaikwad stood firm and played a responsible knock, holding the innings together.
He remained unbeaten on 134 runs from 131 balls and helped Maharashtra reach a competitive total of 249/7 in 50 overs. His innings included eight fours and six sixes. This was his second century of the tournament, having earlier scored one against Uttarakhand.
With this knock, Gaikwad equalled the record for the most Vijay Hazare Trophy centuries. He has now scored 15 hundreds in just 59 innings, matching teammate Ankeet Bawane, who took 94 innings to reach the same number. Devdutt Padikkal is next on the list with 14 centuries in 35 innings.
Gaikwad also reached another milestone by scoring his 20th List A century in only 95 innings, making him the fastest player to do so. During this innings, he also crossed 5,000 List A runs in record time.
His excellent form has pushed his List A batting average to 58.83, which is now the highest in the world among players who have played at least 50 innings. This record surpasses the legendary Michael Bevan’s career average of 57.86.
Last month, Gaikwad scored his first ODI century for India while batting at number four in Raipur. However, despite his form, he was not selected in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting January 11 in Baroda. With Shreyas Iyer returning from injury, Gaikwad missed out on selection, a decision that has been questioned by several experts.
Former India spinner R Ashwin said Gaikwad could have stayed in the squad and felt the choice came down to selecting between an extra wicketkeeper and a specialist batter.
“Could Gaikwad have been kept in the squad? I think that was a real possibility. The only spot of contention is between Pant and Gaikwad. It was a straight decision. Shreyas Iyer deserved to come back after the injury, so no discussion there. It is his rightful position. The debate is over who goes out. Between a second wicketkeeper and a batter, you can get a keeper from anywhere to cover,†India spin legend R Ashwin had said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also praised Gaikwad’s ability to play spin, run between the wickets, and finish innings strongly, especially in the middle order.
“Who will keep a track on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s mindset now? At four or five, I am sticking my neck out, his batting against spin and ability to run between wickets and close out an innings is phenomenal. I personally don’t think Pant can bat in the middle-order in white-ball cricket at the moment,†he added.
