End of Road for Shreyas Iyer? Ruturaj Gaikwad Delivers Huge Statement After Century Against South Africa

Ruturaj Gaikwad was drafted into the Indian playing XI after Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the South Africa series due to injury. He grabbed the opportunity with open arms and responded with a 77-ball century; however, the only question that was hurled into the Indian dressing room was whether this would actually affect Shreyas Iyer's place in the Indian team.

India might not have managed to clinch the series victory in Raipur, but it does not demean Ruturaj Gaikwad's spectacular comeback to international cricket after a span of 700+ days. Gaikwad might have failed to capitalize in Ranchi but he had delivered just when it mattered the most.

India posted a mammoth score of 358 with Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scoring for the Men in Blue with 105 runs. The 77-ball century consisted of 14 boundaries, of which 2 were colossal sixes. However, despite all the uncertainty, Gaikwad's place in the Indian XI remains.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

I was told that I will bat at number 4: Ruturaj Gaikwad

After Shreyas Iyer, the Indian vice-captain, was ruled out of action for months following the laceration injury in Sydney during India's final ODI match in the Australia tour, India named Ruturaj Gaikwad as his replacement.

The CSK captain is not just some pick out of the blue, but rather, he has made his way through all the thorns to etch his name into the history books. Gaikwad has 4000+ List A career runs with an average of over 56, and got this opportunity at the back of a solid show against South Africa A in the unofficial ODI series. He amassed 210 runs across three innings with a hundred and fifty to his name.

Although there was initially a question about whether Gaikwad would be handed a playing XI spot, given that the team had other big names like Rishabh Pant, the Indian coach showed faith in him, and he has delivered with every bit of his game.

Ruturaj Gaikwad said, following the hundred in Raipur: "I was told that I will bat at number 4 this series & encouraged to enjoy my game. I feel it is a privilege to have that kind of confidence from management in an opener who can bat at four. Coach told me to enjoy the game and play my natural game".

Ruturaj said "I was told that I will bat at number 4 this series & encouraged to enjoy my game. I feel it is a privilege to have that kind of confidence from management to an opener who can bat at four. Coach told me to enjoy the game and play my natural game". [Press] pic.twitter.com/wKvWI3pKsE

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 4, 2025

Does Shreyas Iyer still own the no. 4 chair?

However, despite all the praise and all the hype for Gaikwad, who has shown that he could be promising enough in the middle order as well, despite his natural role being that of an opener, the harsh reality is that he is up against Shreyas Iyer for the same spot in the ODI team.

Shreyas Iyer has not had the fortune needed with the Indian team; however, now in the ODI format, he is not just some middle-order batting option; he is the vice-captain of the team. Iyer once came in to stabilize India's middle-order batting and has 1900+ runs in around 40 innings and averages nearly 51 with a staggering strike rate close to 100.

This clearly demonstrates that when Shreyas Iyer walks back into that dressing room, he goes straight out into that no. 4 position. Ruturaj Gaikwad would then most likely be snubbed of a spot in the XI.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is the most viable no. 3 for India in the post-Rohit-Kohli era

Though Ruturaj Gaikwad might not have been able to lock his role in the Indian side, he has actually delivered on a vital occasion and would surely be a beneficiary of the terrific innings. Gaikwad no longer remains a try-and-pick option and will continue to be a reserved batting option for India for the upcoming tours.

Moreover, with this hundred, he has shown that he can survive and then accelerate anytime during the game, which makes him one of the most viable candidates for India's middle order in the post-Rohit-Virat era, that is, after the two legends depart, leaving the void of two spots.

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli’s safety threatened during Raipur ODI as fan breaches security, gets manhandled