Ruturaj Gaikwad smashes 3rd consecutive century for Maharashtra in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his tremendous start to the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy by scoring his third century in as many games.

Put into bat by Kerala, Maharashtra scored 291/8 from their 50 overs as Gaikwad hit a fantastic 124 off 129 deliveries.

The right-hander hit nine boundaries and three sixes in a tremendous knock. Gaikwad was well supported by Rahul Tripathi, who missed out on what would have been his second List A century by just one run.

Tripathi hit 99 off 108 deliveries, scoring 11 boundaries in the process.

Maharashtra lost two early wickets, but Gaikwad and Tripathi steadied the innings and ensured they reached a competitive total. The two put on a partnership of 195 runs before Tripathi was dismissed by MD Nidheesh.

Gaikwad carried on for five more overs before being caught behind off Suresh Vishweshwar.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad carries on fine form from IPL 2021

Having scored three consecutive half-centuries at the back end of the 2020 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gaikwad truly announced himself in IPL 2021. The young batsman piled on the runs to help the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win their fourth title.

He formed a deadly opening partnership with Faf du Plessis and pipped the South African for the Orange Cap by just a run. Gaikwad amassed 635 runs with four fifties and a century against the Rajasthan Royals.

His impressive showing in the first half of the IPL also saw him receive his maiden India call-up for the T20 International series in Sri Lanka. When the IPL resumed in the United Arab Emirates, Gaikwad continued from where he left off.

After the IPL concluded, he scored 259 runs in five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, hitting three fifties. Now in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Maharashtra captain has taken his form to another level and has scored three consecutive centuries.

In the season opener, the 24-year-old scored 136 off 112 deliveries to help his team chase down 329 against Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra won the match by five wickets with just two deliveries to spare.

In the next match, he was even more dominating, hitting an unbeaten 154 off 143 deliveries as Maharashtra beat Chhattisgarh by eight wickets. Gaikwad's knock helped his side chase down the target of 276 in 47 overs.

He is currently averaging 207 with a strike rate of 107.81 in the domestic List A tournament this season.

Gaikwad will look to carry on his good form in the match against Uttarakhand tomorrow. If he does score another century, he will match Devdutt Padikkal's record of four consecutive tons in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a feat that the southpaw achieved last year.