‘Did he again?’- Australia legend unsurprised by ‘wonderful’ Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 11 centuries in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Former Australian cricketer, Mike Hussey got shocked after knowing that the Chennai franchise opener first scored his maiden List A double century followed by a brilliant knock of 168 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final for Maharashtra. 

Maharashtra is set to play their maiden final, Gaikwad named some of the records for him. After hitting 16 sixes in the quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh, he smashed 168 runs against Assam in the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday. He has scored 11 centuries in this tournament so far – the joint-highest with Robin Uthappa. 

He has scored his seventh ton in the last nine Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. Four of them have 150-plus scores, something that Hussey believes will help him edge out the rest should it come down between two players.

I know the competition is tough: Mike Hussey

“Did he again? Oh my… that is the thing about him. When he gets going, he is such a wonderful player that you find it hard to stop,” said Hussey, who has watched the youngster closely at the Chennai franchise where he was the batting coach. 

“Even when we are at the Chennai franchise, the discussions have been about the bigger picture, which is India. I know the competition is tough and there are a lot of good players in India, so you have to keep scoring runs. And not 50s and 60s or just a 100. If you get in and make a hundred, you have to make it like 150 or 200. That is the sort of numbers you need when you have a lot of competition going around. That is what selectors will notice… not the 100s, but the big scores that will make you stand up and take notice,” Hussey told The Indian Express.

There are talks about the Chennai franchise that they are grooming players for the captaincy as MS Dhoni can from Indian T20 League after the 2023 edition. Hussey thinks that Gaikwad has leadership qualities in him.