Team India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad ended a forgettable T20 series against South Africa. The Chennai Super Kings and Maharashtra opener ended up with just 96 runs in the five matches with a top-score of 57 and an average of 19.2 with a strike-rate of 131.5. In a rain-hit fifth T20, TV cameras caught Gaikwad throwing ‘attitude’ towards an enthusiastic ground-staff in Bengaluru, who was seeking a selfie with the opener.


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The fifth T20 eventually was abandoned due to rain and the T20 series was shared between India and South Africa 2-2. Gaikwad found the going extremely difficult in the middle and he finally perished when he looked to hit Lungi Ngidi straight over his head. The ball went straight up in the air and Gaikwad was caught Dwaine Pretorious.


A video of just after Gaikwad’s dismissal emerged where the opener is seen behaving in a disrespectful manner with the groundsman in the dugout.


Here is the viral video of Ruturaj Gaikwad and the reactions on social media...


 



 



 



Meanwhile, in the absence of first-choice pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar did a splendid job of spearheading India’s pace attack in the series against South Africa. Bhuvneshwar kept things tight in power-play, proving that he’s still a force to reckon with in the shortest format of the game.


Bhuvneshwar entered the tournament after picking up 12 wickets in 14 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022 at an economy rate of 7.34. Moreover, he had been troubled by injuries to his back, hamstring and thigh. But now, it feels like Bhuvneshwar is getting back to his best bowling self.


“Really proud (on getting Player of series award). Doesn’t matter if you are a bowler or batsman. But when you get Man of the Series, it’s always a proud moment, and as a bowler in T20, it’s always even better. Body feels good, but I don’t want to talk much about it. I’m always focused on getting back stronger, whether it’s my bowling or my fitness,” said Bhuvneshwar after the match.


(with agency inputs)