Raipur, Dec 3 (UNI) Ruturaj Gaikwad announced his arrival in style with a maiden One-Day International century, reaching the landmark in 77 balls against South Africa, after surviving a testing opening spell from Marco Jansen.
The opener, who took 52 deliveries to reach his half-century, shifted gears decisively thereafter, unfurling a range of crisp strokes to take control of the innings.
The moment came in the 34th over when Corbin Bosch banged one in short, only for Gaikwad to swivel and pull it wide of mid-on for four. He removed his helmet, raised his bat to the Bengaluru crowd, and received a warm embrace from Virat Kohli.
Gaikwad’s 77-ball ton is now the second-fastest ODI hundred by an Indian against South Africa, behind Yusuf Pathan’s 68-ball effort in Centurion in 2011.
His knock, marked by composure, precision and timing, provided India a strong platform after early jitters.
