Ruturaj Gaikwadnotched up yet another milestone in his promising cricketing career during an Elite Group B clash between Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The top-order batter is currently leading Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali — the premier domestic T20 competition.

He became the second-fastest Indian cricketer to get past the 5000-run mark in 20-over cricket, placing himself just before KL Rahul. Gaikwad's tally stood at 4,996 runs in 150 T20s (144 innings) prior to the match.

Gaikwad could score only 6 off 8 though. He was dismissed caught-behind by Kanhaiya Wadhawan off Yudhvir Singh Charak. Gaikwad was Maharashtra's third wicket to fall, all of which were secured by the opposition during the powerplay itself.

The 28-year-old recently represented India A during their three-match unofficial ODI series against South Africa A. He emerged as the leading run-getter across both sides with 210 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 86.77 with 24 fours throughout the series. However, the hosts ended up the assignment 

He was recently added to India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against the Proteas. Gaikwad last represented the Men in Blue in the 50-over format in December 2023. In total, he has played only six ODIs for India, in which he has been able to register only 115 runs.

What will be intriguing is whether he will get the nod to open the batting with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the squad as well. There have been reports doing the rounds which have been speculating that Gaikwad might not get to feature with Jaiswal getting increased priority over the former.

The T20I series between the two sides will be the last leg of the all-format series. The squad for the series has not been announced yet. The five T20Is will be played across five different venues from December 9 onwards.