Ruturaj Gaikwad had a blazing run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy

Ruturaj Gaikwad had a brilliant run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but Maharashtra were unlucky to exit the 50-overs competition.

Maharashtra won four of their five group league matches, but due to a weak run rate, they ended third in the Elite Group D points standings. Not qualifying for the knockouts, according to Ruturaj, was “brutal” for his team.

“I think it (not qualifying) was harsh on us. We won four out of five games. In some other groups, teams who have lost two games out of five (Himachal, Vidarbha, TN, Karnataka) have also made it to the next stage.” Gaikwad said

Gaikwad, who led the team from the front, said that they considered the net run rate, but that their opponents played some excellent cricket to carry the game to the end. Ruturaj Gaikwad

“These things happen in cricket. The Kerala seventh wicket pair batted too well. We have to give credit to the opposition too. We tried our best to break the partnership. Thus, we were aware about the possibility of net run rate coming into the equation. Hence we chose to field first against Uttarakhand. But sadly, it was difficult to score runs quickly on that pitch. The wicket changed its behaviour a bit in the second half too. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck too which proved elusive for us.” he said

Madhya Pradesh cricket team

Kerala and Madhya Pradesh had the same number of points as Maharashtra (15), but qualified due to a high net run rate.

The selectors have taken notice of Ruturaj’s superb batsmanship. When the selection panel meets to choose the ODI team for the South Africa series, he will be one of the front-runners to fly to South Africa.

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