Captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Ruturaj Gaikwad Recently took up a fun challenge with his wife Utkarsha Pawar in the practice net outside the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The contest offered a refreshing moment for the CSK captain after a tough IPL 2026 campaign.
The challenge was simple where Utkarsha had to bowl six balls, while Gaikwad had to make a prediction and then score as many runs as he thought he could score. Initially, Gaikwad, citing Utkarsha's injury concerns, jokingly claimed that he could score 36 runs in six balls. However, his wife immediately dismissed this bold claim and set a far more realistic target of 10 runs off six balls.
Gaikwad, full of confidence as ever, replied that scoring 10 runs was like making peanuts every day on the cricket field. He then took guard at the nets and tried to back up his words with the bat.
The challenge started with Gaikwad taking singles off the first two balls. He added two runs on the third ball before asking Utkarsha to slow down her pace. On the fourth ball, he swung hard down the leg side and achieved another double. A run on the fifth ball brought them closer to the target, requiring a strong finish on the final delivery. However, Utkarsha had the last laugh. He bowled a brilliant final ball which edged Gaikwad, ensuring that he would fall short of the target and lose the challenge.
Gaikwad had a disappointing IPL 2026 season both individually and as a captain. He led CSK to 337 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.08 as the five-time champions finished eighth in the points table.
The 29-year-old player is currently part of the India A squad for the ODI tri-series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Reports also suggest that Gaikwad may find a place in India's ODI squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who has reportedly been ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL final. Gaikwad has scored 228 runs in nine ODI matches for India, which includes one century and one half-century.
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