'Ruturaj Gaikwad will make it really big' - MS Dhoni's ex-teammate's bold claim

Former CSK player and six-time IPL winner Ambati Rayudu claimed that Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to make it really big in international cricket despite missing out on India's Test squad for the first Test against Bangladesh.

Rayudu has spent a lot of time with Ruturaj Gaikwad in the Chennai Super Kings dressing room and is aware of his talent. He feels that Gaikwad is a world-class batter and has enough years ahead of him to make a successful international career for himself.

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Ambati Rayudu feels Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to "make it really big"

While speaking on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket 2024 event in Delhi, Ambati Rayudu mentioned about Ruturaj Gaikwad and his exceptional talent. The former CSK batter feels that Gaikwad has enough years left in him and has the potential to make it big. Gaikwad is currently the captain of Chennai Super Kings.

“I feel he has a lot of time ahead of him and, you know, there's no hurry. I would say he has all the qualities to be a top-class, world-class cricketer and going forward, he has enough years in him, and I'm sure he'll make it really big,” Rayudu said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Ambati Rayudu will feature in his first season of Legends League cricket this year and will play for Konark Suryas Odisha. Irfan Pathan is the captain of the team. The tournament will begin in Jodhpur on September 20.

Ruturaj Gaikwad current form

Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently playing in the Duleep Trophy for India C and is leading the side. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored two fifties in India C's last match against India B. Currently, Gaikwad is fourth on the list of highest run-getters in the tournament with 171 runs in two Tests at an average of 73.07.

Gaikwad has been on the fringes of Team India in all the formats. He can be a regular for the Indian team in the future, especially in white-ball cricket. He was also picked for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final but withdrew at the last moment for his marriage.

The 27-year-old has played 31 first-class matches and scored 2212 runs at an average of 57.01 with the help of six hundreds. He has also played 6 ODIs and 23 T20Is so far. He has a modest ODI record but has a brilliant T20I record with 633 runs at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53 with 1 hundred and 4 fifties.

India favorites for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 - Ambati Rayudu

Meanwhile, Ambati Rayudu also predicted the winner of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India. Rayudu feels that the series will be very close but picked India as the favorites.

"I feel it will be very, very competitive but India, I feel are from favorites," Rayudu reckoned.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will be a five-match Test series starting from November this year. It is the most highly anticipated series of the year with the two best Test teams locking horns with each other.