Ruturaj Gaikwad explains the art of scoring at a brisk rate in ODIs

Ruturaj Gaikwad has gone on to establish himself as a very accomplished limited-overs batter in the IPL as well as the domestic cricket in the last couple of years. Such has been his purple patch that he has been scoring centuries on a consistent basis and lately, the emerging batter has shared a valuable piece of advice on the technique of posting mammoth totals in One Day Internationals.

The Pune cricketer said that it is only possible if a team has a strong middle-order that can score at a brisk rate and capitalize on the solid start of about 100 runs in the first 20 overs.

Batting should be strong in the middle order: Ruturaj Gaikwad

“If you score 100 runs in the first 20 overs in ODIs, you can reach a big score. Also, batting should be strong in the middle order,” said Ruturaj Gaikwad as quoted as saying by Cricket Next.

Gaikwad had recently showcased what is arguably his best batting performance so far when he hit a double century during Maharashtra’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 quarterfinal encounter against Uttar Pradesh. He smashed a record seven sixes in an over off left-arm spinner Shiva Singh as he went on to score an explosive 220 not out off only 159 deliveries. In that crucial knockout match, the 25-year-old brought up his century off 109 deliveries while all it took for him were just 50 balls to score the next 120 runs.

At the same time an ambitious Ruturaj has also mentioned that while he is currently doing well in the shortest format, he also wants to take his game to another level in the 50-overs and the longest format.

“Though I have scored runs in T20 cricket, I want to play and do well in 50-overs format and Tests too. Only then will one’s cricketing career be complete,” he said.

As far as collective performances are concerned, Maharashtra might have faltered at the final hurdle against Saurashtra in the recently-concluded VHT 2022, but it was an outstanding one for Gaikwad individually as he amassed 660 runs from five innings including a double century.