Ruturaj Gaikwad's Injury Mars India C's Start in Duleep Trophy Clash

Ruturaj Gaikwad retired hurt after facing just two balls in the Duleep Trophy match against India B. Despite his injury, India C recovered with a 92-run partnership between Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar. Gaikwad is expected to bat in the second innings.

India C faced an unfortunate setback as captain Ruturaj Gaikwad retired hurt after facing only two balls in their Duleep Trophy match against India B at Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday. Gaikwad hit a four off his first ball but twisted his ankle on the next delivery. Forced to leave the field, India B capitalized by winning the toss and opting to bowl first, putting India C on the back foot early.

Despite the early loss of their captain, India C managed to bounce back with a solid partnership. Sai Sudharsan scored 43 runs off 75 balls, while Rajat Patidar added 40 runs from 67 balls. Together, they built a crucial 92-run stand for the second wicket, facing a total of 140 balls. Unfortunately, both batters were dismissed in quick succession, leaving Ishan Kishan and Baba Indrajith to pick up the pieces.

Reports indicated that Gaikwad twisted his ankle while running after facing a delivery from pacer Mukesh Kumar. Though he had to retire hurt, the injury is not deemed serious, and Gaikwad is expected to bat in the second innings. The 27-year-old has had a challenging red-ball cricket career recently, having been named in India's Test squad against South Africa last December only to be ruled out due to a finger injury. In his first-class career, Gaikwad has played 30 games, amassing 2,092 runs with six centuries and ten fifties. His debut in first-class, List A, and T20 formats came during the 2016-17 season for Maharashtra.

Leading India B, Abhimanyu Easwaran won the toss and chose to bowl first. India C fielded a playing XI featuring Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Ishan Kishan, Baba Indrajith, Abhishek Porel (Wk), Anshul Kamboj, Mayank Markande, Manav Suthar, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, and Sandeep Warrier. India B's lineup included Abhimanyu Easwaran, Narayan Jagadeesan (Wk), Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Navdeep Saini, Rahul Chahar, and Mukesh Kumar.

(With inputs from agencies.)