Ruturaj Gaikwad slams maiden international fifty

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his first half-century in international cricket during the third T20I between India and South Africa at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

Ruturaj Gaikwad in action.

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his first half-century in international cricket during the third T20I between India and South Africa at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

Playing his sixth T20I, Gaikwad reached his fifty off 30 balls after taking a toll on pacer Anrich Nortje with five consecutive fours in his over. He studded his innings with seven fours and two sixes.

With India racing along at 97 for one, Gaikwad perished for a 35-ball 57, handing a return catch to left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Before Tuesday's match, Gaikwad had played five T20Is, scoring 63 runs at a strike rate of 114.54 and averaging 12.6. His highest score was 23 against South Africa in the first match of the ongoing T20I series.

Gaikwad made his international debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021 and scored an 18-ball 21.