Ruturaj Gaikwad experienced a rare dismissal on Tuesday, August 25, as the West Zone captain was run out for the first time in his First-Class career during the second quarter-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 against North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru. Gaikwad had gone 78 First-Class innings across nearly a decade without being dismissed through a run-out. That remarkable streak finally ended in Bengaluru, bringing an unusual chapter in his red-ball career to a close.
The West Zone captain had already endured a difficult first innings, scoring only five runs after being given out LBW. North Zone left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq tempted Gaikwad to come down the track and play an attacking shot. However, the delivery dipped and stayed on its line, leaving the batter unable to get enough bat behind it.
Gaikwad returned with a much more confident approach in the second innings. The Maharashtra batter looked in excellent touch and scored a brisk 66 from just 70 deliveries, including seven boundaries. However, his impressive knock ended in an unfortunate manner.
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The dismissal came after left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu created an opportunity for a quick single involving Musheer Khan. A moment of hesitation and misjudgement between the batters proved costly, with Gaikwad caught short of his crease at the non-striker’s end.North Zone wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan reacted quickly, collected the ball and broke the stumps before Gaikwad could make his ground. The dismissal ended his long-standing record of never being run out in First-Class cricket.
FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER 💔
– Ruturaj Gaikwad has been run-out for the first time in his FC cricket. pic.twitter.com/cVYjjwaIbH
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 25, 2026
Despite the unusual setback, Gaikwad remains one of India’s most accomplished top-order batters. The right-hander has accumulated more than 15,000 runs across professional cricket and made his international debut in July 2021. He was also part of India’s gold-medal-winning campaign at the 2022 Asian Games.
In T20 internationals, Gaikwad has played 23 matches and scored 633 runs at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.54. His highest score is an unbeaten 123, with one century and four fifties.
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He has also featured in nine ODIs, scoring 228 runs with one century and one fifty. In List A cricket, Gaikwad has played 104 matches and amassed 5,334 runs at an average of 58.62 and a strike rate of 101.23. His highest score is an unbeaten 220, while his record includes 21 centuries and 20 fifties.
In First-Class cricket, Gaikwad has 3,294 runs from 47 matches at an average of 44.51, including nine centuries and 17 fifties. His highest score is 195. Across T20 cricket, including the IPL, the Maharashtra batter has featured in 165 matches and scored 5,339 runs at an average of 38.14 and a strike rate of 139.33. He has six centuries and 37 fifties in the format, underlining his consistency across levels.
