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[Saba Sports News] In a humorous pre-match incident, Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad experienced an unexpected moment before the first ODI against South Africa at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium. As he was about to board the team bus, the driver, perhaps distracted, accidentally closed the door in front of him, briefly perplexing the batsman. This amusing episode, which was caught on video and circulated on social media, showed Gaikwad awkwardly looking for another way to get on the bus. In the video, the driver is seen gesturing after shutting the door, leaving Gaikwad visibly puzzled.
This event is part of a series of interesting occurrences involving the Indian team’s bus journeys, including a viral video featuring T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and Arshdeep Singh.
On the field, the Indian team quickly refocused, delivering a stellar bowling performance to restrict South Africa to 116 runs. Arshdeep Singh’s five-wicket haul, aided by Avesh Khan’s four wickets, set the stage for India’s chase. Debutant Sai Sudharsan and Shreyas Iyer, scoring half-centuries each, led India to an easy win with eight wickets in hand.
However, Ruturaj Gaikwad, returning after missing the T20I series due to illness, was unable to make a significant impact, scoring only five runs before being dismissed. Following his successful stint as the top scorer in the T20I series against Australia, expectations remain high for Gaikwad in the upcoming matches. With India leading the three-match ODI series 1-0, attention is now on Gaikwad’s performance in the next game scheduled for December 19.