On Thursday, November 23, Ruturaj Gaikwad entered a unique record book, becoming only the third Indian batsman to experience a “diamond duck” in T20 Internationals (T20Is). Gaikwad faced a bizarre dismissal during the first T20I against Australia, led by Matthew Wade, in Visakhapatnam.
In the penultimate delivery of the first over in India’s run-chase, Gaikwad found himself in a dreadful mix-up with Yashasvi Jaiswal. While attempting a second run, Jaiswal left his partner stranded, leading to Gaikwad’s dismissal without facing a single ball. India lost their first wicket with the score at 11 in just 0.5 overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad becomes 3rd Indian to get out for a diamond duck in T20Is
This unfortunate feat puts Gaikwad in the company of Amit Mishra and Jasprit Bumrah as the only Indian batsmen to have suffered a diamond duck in T20Is. Bumrah experienced this unusual dismissal on February 9, 2016, against Sri Lanka at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Mishra faced a similar fate in January 2017 against England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur. In total, 21 Indian batsmen have encountered diamond ducks in the history of Indian cricket.
The list of players who share this peculiar record includes Bishan Singh Bedi, Roger Binny, Anshuman Gaekwad, Chetan Sharma, Venkatpathy Raju, Javagal Srinath, Abey Kuruvilla, Rajesh Chauhan, Navjot Singh Sidhu, MSK Prasad, Harbhajan Singh, Rahul Dravid, Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid (mentioned twice), Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Umesh Yadav.
Looking ahead, Gaikwad aims to make a strong comeback in the second T20I as India strives to identify the right combination ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
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