BENGALURU: Before the ongoing India 'A' and New Zealand 'A' series, Ruturaj Gaikwad had played 66 matches in two-and-a-half years. All of them were limited-over contests. The 25-year-old last featured in a red-ball match in February 2020, turning out for Maharashtra against Uttarakhand in Ranji Trophy.
In the intervening period he earned his T20 India cap. Finding it tough to switch between formats, Gaikwad scored a mere 26 runs (21 & 5) in two innings in the first two matches of the current series. The turnaround came on the opening day of the final four-day match here on Thursday when he not only struck form with his fifth first-class century but also bailed out a precariously placed home team after walking in to bat at 66/2.
