Arjit Kumar - Wednesday, Dec 03, 2025Ruturaj Gaikwad century: Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his impressive form with a stellar century in the second One Day International (ODI) between India and South Africa. India's batsmen, especially Gaikwad, proved South Africa's decision to bowl first after winning the toss wrong.
Although India got off to a slow start, an unbreakable partnership between number three Virat Kohli (92 runs) and Ruturaj Gaikwad put the team in a strong position. Gaikwad reached his century in just 78 balls.
Gaikwad hit shots all around the field, especially putting pressure on fast bowlers Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli is also nearing his century and is batting on 92 runs. After the early dismissals of Rohit Sharma (14) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22), Kohli and Gaikwad steadied the innings and took the team to 249/2 in 34 overs, at an excellent run rate of 7.32.
The South African bowling unit failed to break this partnership. In the absence of Anrich Nortje, only Nandre Burger (1/42) and Marco Jansen (1/40) have taken wickets so far. Keshav Maharaj was the most expensive, conceding 55 runs in 8 overs, while Corbin Bosch conceded 50 runs in 6 overs.
This explosive batting shows that India is heading towards a mammoth total of 350+ before the completion of 50 overs.
