Ruturaj Gaikwad slams his maiden T20I half-century overseas: Stats
India put up 185/5 against Ireland in the 2nd T20I at The Village, Dublin. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad set the tone of their innings with a 58-run knock. Gaikwad, who played the anchor, turned out to be India's only half-centurion of the match. Notably, Gaikwad smashed his maiden T20I fifty overseas. Later on, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube broke free to get India past 180.
Career-best score in T20I cricket
Gaikwad, whose impressive back-foot strokes grabbed eyeballs, broke the shackles post Sanju Samson's dismissal. He brought up his second T20I half-century off 39 balls in the 15th over. It was Gaikwad's maiden half-century in the format away from home. He finally managed 58 off 43 balls, a knock laced with 6 fours and a solitary six. Gaikwad recorded his career-best score in T20I cricket.
Gaikwad adds 71 runs with Samson
Gaikwad and Samson helped India beef up their scoring rate after the first six overs. They propelled India past 100 after the visitors were reduced to 34/2. While Gaikwad kept rotating the strike, Samson launched a counter-attack. The duo added 71 runs.
A look at Gaikwad's T20 numbers
Gaikwad, who made his T20I debut in July 2021, has played 11 T20Is so far. He has so far accumulated 212 runs at 23.55 (SR: 126.19). His maiden T20I fifty came against South Africa in India last year. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old has been sensational in the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 1,797 runs at 39.07 (SR: 135.52). He represents Chennai Super Kings (CSK).