New Delhi: Australia defeated the Indian cricket team in the third T20I, on Sunday, to stop them from winning their record 136th T20I match and take the unassailable lead in the 5-match series.
Despite the loss, India can take one positive from the game, as their opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, displayed a whole different kind of approach to T20 cricket, scoring 22 runs from 22 balls when things were tight, but soon accelerated the innings to end up with 123 not-out in 57 deliveries.
Good Morning to only those who know that Ruturaj Gaikwad is the next big thing from India!❤️🔥🦁💛
The greatest there was, there is and there will ever be. Our Starboy💫#RuturajGaikwad pic.twitter.com/6aexDhADKc
— Hustler (@HustlerCSK) November 29, 2023
Ruturaj became the ninth Indian batsman to score a T20I century and the first Indian to do so against Australia.
Ruturaj also recorded the second-highest individual T20I score for India, second only to Shubman Gill’s brilliant innings in New Zealand earlier this year.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 highest individual scores for India in T20Is:
5] Surya Kumar Yadav (117) vs England
The flamboyant Indian batsman has become the lead Indian player in T20I cricket as no one else has more centuries and runs in T20Is since his debut.
Surya holds the record for the fifth-highest individual T20I score for India when he scored 117 runs innings in 55 balls against the English side on July 10, 2022.
4] Rohit Sharma (118) vs Sri Lanka
The veteran Indian cricketer and current captain of the Indian side is well known for his attacking batting style at the top of the innings, and also for holding the record for the joint most centuries in T20I cricket, i.e., 4.
Rohit had the third-highest T20I score for India when he played a brilliant 118 runs innings against the Sri Lankan team on Dec 22, 2017.
3] Virat Kohli (122*) vs Afghanistan
The Indian batting virtuoso, Virat Kohli, who is also known as the run machine, had a rough patch between 2019 and 2022, when he was not able to score any century, and what better way to break the slump by scoring a T20I century.
Virat scored his maiden T20i century against Afghanistan on September 8, 2022, and went on to make the third-highest T20I score for India, by scoring 122 not out in just 61 deliveries.
2] Ruturaj Gaikwad (123*) vs Australia
Good morning rutu nation.
Rutu 1st century in international#RuturajGaikwad pic.twitter.com/KcqacO4cA6— mufaddal vohra (@msd3455) November 29, 2023
The young Indian batsman, after proving his quality in the domestic circuit time and time again, still has not been able to get many chances on the international stage. So, when he was given the opportunity against the Australian team in a 5-match T20I series, he grabbed it with both hands.
Ruturaj in the third match of the ongoing series played a massive 123 not-out innings in 57 deliveries and notched up India’s second-highest T20I score.
1] Shubman Gill (126*) vs New Zealand
The prince of India has enjoyed a successful calendar year in 2023, where he scored runs across all three formats.
Shubman started his purple patch by scoring India’s highest individual T20I score, when he played a brilliant 126 not-out innings in 63 balls, against the black caps earlier this year.
