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Indian opening batters Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan were recently seen enjoying a game of pickleball. The two rising stars will be in action in the upcoming Irani Cup 2024 fixture.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed as the captain of the Rest of India (ROI) team that will compete with Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai for the Irani Cup. Ahead of the red-ball encounter, Gaikwad and Sudharsan unwinded by playing pickleball.
Taking to his Instagram account on Sunday, September 29, Gaikwad shared a story, giving fans a glimpse of the game. You can watch the clip below:
The popularity of pickleball has seen an exponential rise in India of late. It is a racquet/paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, table tennis, and badminton.
Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Team C finished as the runners-up of Duleep Trophy 2024
Ruturaj Gaikwad was last seen in action during the Duleep Trophy 2024, where he captained the India C team. The side finished as runners-up, suffering a 132-run defeat against Team A in the final at Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur on September 19.
Gaikwad registered scores of 17 and 44 in the summit clash. With 232 runs across six innings, he was the leading run-getter for Team C in the tournament.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper will now lead ROI in the Irani Cup 2024 against Mumbai. The match will be played at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow from Tuesday, October 1.
Here are the two squads for the Irani Cup 2024:
ROI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk)*, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal*, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar.
Mumbai: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Musheer Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhessh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Sidhaant Addhatrao, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohd. Juned Khan, Royston Dias.
