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Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli score twin centuries for India against South Africa, surviving a close call and setting a new third-wicket stand record.
Ruturaj Gaikwad evades the hard hit from Virat Kohli (Picture credit: Screengrab from X)
Star India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad on Wednesday escaped being hit by Virat Kohli’s powerful straight hit, thanks to brilliant reflexes, as the latter scored a boundary that almost injured Gaikwad. The duo scored twin hundreds as India posted 358/5 batting first in the second ODI against South Africa.
Kohli and Gaikwad tore through the record books with their huge stand, steadying India’s innings after two early setbacks.
Kohli (102 off 93; 7 fours, 2 sixes) and Gaikwad (105 off 83; 12 fours, 2 sixes) set a new record for India’s highest third-wicket partnership in ODIs against South Africa, with their 195-run stand giving the hosts a strong platform for a big total.
During their big partnership, Kohli almost took out Gaikwad at the non-striker’s end when he charged down the track to Corbin Bosch and hammered a straight drive past him for a boundary.
The ball whistled past Gaikwad’s right forearm, missing what could have been a serious injury. Kohli looked relieved as the former escaped unscathed. Watch the video here:
After falling to a sharp catch by Dewald Brevis at point in the first ODI, Gaikwad returned for the second match with a clear intent to make it count. Star South Africa pacer Marco Jansen challenged him with a barrage of bouncers, but Gaikwad weathered the storm and survived two outstanding balls.
From there, Gaikwad settled in, raising his second ODI half-century in 52 deliveries. He shifted gears soon after, taking Keshav Maharaj for 16 in an over before attacking Corbin Bosch and reaching his maiden ODI hundred in 77 balls.
And Rahul’s unbeaten 66 off 43 deliveries (6 fours, 2 sixes) gave India stability once again, even as the team continued experimenting with their batting order, with the stand-in skipper coming in at No. 5 ahead of Washington Sundar, who suffered another failure.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 03, 2025, 18:51 IST
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