Ruturaj Gaikwad ran out by Wadhawan [Source: X]Not very often in a game of cricket does one witness a brilliant display of athleticism, game awareness and a perfect hit on the stumps, but one such occasion took place during Day 3 of the 2nd Quarter Final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 between North Zone and West Zone.Pulling off an MS Dhoni-like athleticism and tactical brilliance on the field, North Zone wicketkeeper and captain Kanhaiya Wadhawan dismissed West Zone batter and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, leaving him awestruck with his accuracy.Kanhaiya Wadhawan hits the bull's eye to run out Ruturaj GaikwadAs West Zone was batting in their second innings with Musheer Khan and Ruturaj Gaikwad on strike, Nishant Sindhu delivered a full-length delivery around the leg to Khan. Musheer punched it towards the silly point region with no fielder stationed at that place. As the ball trickled down slowly in that area, Musheer signalled Gaikwad for a quick single. As Gaikwad started running towards the batter’s end, Wadhawan didn’t waste a single second behind the stumps. He quickly ran to collect the ball from the silly point region. While running, he let go of his right-hand glove and was quick to collect and look over his shoulder to aim at the stumps.As Ruturaj Gaikwad tried to reach the crease with a full-hearted run, Wadhawan’s bull's-eye aim at the stumps cleaned the batter up by just an inch as the bails flew into the sky. Watch the video below:BCCI Domestic @BCCIdomestic On target 🎯 North Zone captain Kanhaiya Wadhawan pulls off a superb direct-hit run-out to break the Musheer Khan-Ruturaj Gaikwad partnership 👌 Scorecard ▶️ Aug 25, 2026, 4:40 PM Interestingly, this was the very first time Gaikwad had been run out in his entire first-class cricket career that spans across 47 red-ball matches.It was a massive wicket for North Zone as Ruturaj Gaikwad was batting confidently at 66 runs from 70 deliveries. His wicket had Urvil Patel walk in at No. 6 with Musheer then, steadily climbing towards a century after playing over 120 deliveries.Also Read- Watch- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Turns Bowler, Bags 2 Wickets In 4 BallsWhy was Kanhaiya Wadhawan’s attempt similar to that of MS Dhoni?MS Dhoni is the epitome of modern-era wicketkeeping, at least for the next generation in Indian cricket and world cricket as well. While Dhoni was behind the stumps, tactical masterclasses like swiftly ditching wicketkeeping gloves during crunch last-over thrillers or faking an incoming ball to confuse the batters were the norm.However, ever since his departure from cricket, there has rarely been an instance when a wicketkeeper has pulled off an exceptional tactic on the field to outsmart the opposition. Kanhaiya Wadhawan’s run-out seemed a lot like what MS Dhoni could pull off in his prime, as he did with his no-look flick in 2016, gliding down a throw from behind his back to hit the stumps without even looking at the wickets. However, not only with the gloves, but Wadhawan is also a serious talent with the bat.Kanhaiya Wadhawan and the talent with the bat Wadhawan’s first-class journey has quietly gathered substance, with the Jammu & Kashmir wicketkeeper-batter showing that his value is not limited to what he does behind the stumps. Batting in the middle order, Wadhawan has accumulated 883 runs in 24 first-class innings, averaging 40.13, with one century and six fifties. His 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign was particularly encouraging, yielding 474 runs at 36.46, including a composed 110 against Himachal Pradesh and a crucial 95 against Hyderabad.His wicketkeeping has also remained an important part of his package, with 54 catches and a stumping in first-class cricket. However, despite having 7 years of domestic cricket under his belt, his exposure has been limited with only 16 first-class matches and 883 runs at 40.13.Also Read- Women Cricketers Who Have Played For Men’s Teams
