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Player Name
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Ruturaj Gaikwad
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Nicknames
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Rutu, Rocket Raja
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Birth Place
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Pune, Maharashtra
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Height
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5 feet 9 inches (175 cm)
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Jersey Number
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31
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Team(s)
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India, Chennai Super Kings, Maharashtra
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Family
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Wife- Utkarsha Pawar, Son- None, Daughter- None, Father- Dasharath Gaikwad, Mother- Sawita Gaikwad, Brother- None, Sister- None
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Zodiac
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Aquarius
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Education
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Graduated
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Cars
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Audi, BMW
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Networth
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Rs. 36 crore
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Salary
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BCCI- Rs. 1 crore, IPL- Rs. 6 crore
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Instagram Link
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www.instagram.com/ruutu.131/
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Facebook Link
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www.facebook.com/Ruutu131/
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Twitter/X Link
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www.twitter.com/Ruutu1331
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A Rocking Opener- this is what comes to mind when we think about Ruturaj Gaikwad. Growing from domestic cricket to the Indian Premier League to the Indian team, Ruturaj Gaikwad's journey has been a successful one. He led the Indian team to Asian Games 2023 title in 2023.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is a right-handed batsman who plays as an opener. He can also bowl off-break but has only restricted himself to batting so far. Gaikwad has only played a handful of ODIs and T20Is for Team India.
Although Gaikwad has not cemented his position in the Indian team, he is an emerging opener for the side. He has been part of the squad in a crucial series and is expected to be a flamboyant opener for Team India shortly.
Early Life and Career
Ruturaj Gaikwad was born in Pune City in Maharashtra on January 31, 1997. His father Dasharath Gaikwad was a DRDO employee while his mother Sawita Gaikwad was a teacher in a municipality school. Gaikwad had no siblings but grew up with his cousins.
Gaikwad started his cricket journey with Dilip Vengsarkar Academy in Pune. He got his first break when he made his first-class debut for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 season. He later played for India A, India B, and India Blue teams.
In IPL 2021, he ended as the highest run-getter for champions Chennai Super Kings and grabbed a lot of limelight. Later, he was picked by selectors for his international debut in the same year.
International Career
Ruturaj Gaikwad made his international debut during a T20I series against Sri Lanka in July 2021. One year later, he also made his ODI debut against South Africa in October 2022.
Although Gaikwad is a promising opener in the Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra, he is yet to play his first Test for Team India. The right-handed batsman has only played a few ODI and T20I games for India due to the narrow competition between young openers.
However, he has got many opportunities whenever there is a vacancy.
Notably, Gaikwad was selected as the skipper for the second-string squad that participated in Asian Games 2023. The Ruturaj-led Indian team won the final to capture the trophy.
IPL Career
Since his debut 2020 season, Ruturaj Gaikwad is only associated with Chennai Super Kings franchise. He made his debut against Rajasthan Royals in the 2020 season and gave a decent performance.
Later, the right-handed opener stole the spotlight in the 2021 edition, when he won the orange cap by smacking the most runs in the tournament. Gaikwad emerged as a gemstone opener for Chennai who played a crucial role in lifting the title.
With more than 50 games for CSK, he has held an amazing average of 40+. He has also stormed 2 centuries in the Indian Premier League. In the 2023 season, they took the reins of CSK captaincy from MS Dhoni.
