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India C received a massive blow early on Thursday, September 12 during their second-round match against India B in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024-25. The Indian batter and captain of the India C, Ruturaj Gaikwad sustained an early blow, getting retired hurt after the second ball of the ongoing match at the Rural development Trust Stadium in Anantapur.
Gaikwad, whose team was put to bat first after India B won the toss, smashed the first ball of the match for four. With Mukesh Kumar opening the bowling for India B, Gaikwad smoked the ball for a boundary and soon afterwards, on the very next bowl, was forced to walk off the field, getting retired hurt. However, the BCCI domestic has not shared any update on Gaikwad's injury, it is being reported that the star player twisted his ankle, forcing him to walk out of the field.
Rajat Patidar replaces Ruturaj Gaikwad in India C
Soon after Gaikwad’s return to the pavilion, Rajat Patidar replaced the top-order batter, walking out at number three position and joining Sai Sudharsan in the middle. Recalling his outing in the first round of the Duleep Trophy 2024-25, Gaikwad’s side secured a thrilling four-wicket win against Shreyas Iyer-led India D at the same venue.
Chasing a 236-run target in Anantapur, Gaikwad setup the match with a quickfire knock of 48-ball 46 for India C. However, the side suffered a collapse in the middle overs, before Manav Suthar and wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel took the side over the line.
Speaking of Gaikwad’s numbers in First-Class cricket, the 27-year-old has amassed 2092 runs in 30 matches at an average of 42.69 and a strike rate of 56.34. Although the India opener might be out of the first innings, an update on Gaikwad’s injury is still awaited.
India B vs India C Playing XI
India B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), N. Jagadeesan 9wk), Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Rinku Singh, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, R. Sai Kishore, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar
India C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Anshul Kamboj, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan, Abishek Porel (wk), Manav Suthar, Mayank Markande, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Sandeep Warrier.
