"In T20s Ruturaj > Gill"- Fans hail Ruturaj Gaikwad after his fluent half-century in 2nd India vs Ireland T20I
Team India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad hit his second international half-century in the second T20I against Ireland on Sunday, August 20, in Dublin. It was also the highest score in T20I matches for the Indian vice-captain.
Ireland skipper Paul Stirling won the toss and invited the visiting team to bat first in the contest. Irish pacer Mark Adair bowled well with the new ball and caused some inconvenience to the opening batters. However, his partner Joshua Little could not maintain the pressure at the other end. Ruturaj and Yashasvi Jaiswal (18) took him on and accumulated quick runs.
Jaiswal and Tilak Varma departed in the space of a couple of deliveries soon after, as India found themselves in some trouble. Ruturaj took the onus on himself and stabilized the innings. He played the anchor role well and stitched a 71-run partnership with Sanju Samson (40) for the third wicket to lay down a platform for the finishers.
Ruturaj (58) hit a fluent half-century and looked good for more. However, he could not kick on and convert it into a big score as he perished in the 16th over trying to clear long off.
Fans took note of Ruturaj's knock against Ireland on Sunday and expressed their reactions on X (formerly known as Twitter). Here are some of them:
He can be the future captain of India: Kiran More about Ruturaj Gaikwad
Former Indian selector Kiran More recently opined that Rutraj Gaikwad has great potential and earmarked him as a candidate for Team India captaincy across formats. More told Jio Cinema:
"I'm waiting for his (Gaikwad) Test debut. Both (Gaikwad and Jaiswal) are outstanding players. Ruturaj can play all formats, his basics are so correct. He can be the future captain of India as well, he has got a great temperament."
He added:
"He's playing under MS Dhoni, so he must have learnt things about handling the team and handling the situations. He's a quality player, and I'm waiting for him to make his Test debut."
Do you agree with More's view above? Sound off in the comments section.