Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth urged the management to give Ruturaj Gaikwad a long run after the latter's brilliant century in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. Playing only his eighth ODI despite debuting in 2022, the 28-year-old capitalized on his rare opportunity by scoring an 83-ball 105 at No. 4.Gaikwad's heroics propelled India to a formidable total of 358/5 in 50 overs. However, the knock went in vain as the Proteas completed a stunning run-chase in the final over with four wickets in hand.Talking about Ruturaj Gaikwad and his future in the Indian setup, Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel (4:11):"I hope some kind of normalcy comes into the team picking, I won't even call selection. Because Ruturaj Gaikwad definitely deserves a long run. Give him a good opportunity, he's a brilliant player be it T20, ODI or even longer format. He is a guy who can play the long innings and has smashed it in the Ranji Trophy. Ruturaj showed the whole world today - if you are a youngster, you just follow Virat Kohli's philosophy. Play to your strengths."He added:"It's good for Ruturaj Gaikwad that he has made a comeback into the Indian team and got his maiden ODI century . He is trying to cement his place. I would say he has almost cemented his place. It's a big thing to score a hundred against such a bowling attack. He (Ruturaj) is also a great hooker and puller, which is also important. And the way he smashed Keshav Maharaj was technical delicacy. He has shown he can score just through delicate touches."The eight ODIs aside, Gaikwad has played 23 T20Is for India but is currently out of favor in their short-format setup."Thanks to Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad got the confidence" - Kris SrikkanthKris Srikkanth praised the Ruturaj Gaikwad-Virat Kohli partnership and the duo's ability to score at a swift pace with authentic shots in the Raipur ODI against the Proteas. While the former scored his maiden ODI ton, Kohli added a remarkable 53rd ODI century to his resume with a brilliant 93-ball 102."Thanks to Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad got the confidence. Ruturaj got a nasty bouncer first up but because Virat Kohli was there, and Ruturaj's game is similar to Virat Kohli with authentic cricketing shots, it helped Ruturaj a lot. Virat Kohli helped Ruturaj Gaikwad get his hundred. They both batted with effortless ease," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).He concluded:"Gaikwad was just playing drives, pulls and glides with great placement. 105 off 83 balls but you hardly felt like he was scoring. Meanwhile, Kohli is batting at a different level. Are there still doubts about him for the 2027 World Cup? Without him, India can't do anything."Kohli has now scored centuries in each of the first ODIs despite his latest one coming in a losing effort. Visakhapatnam will host the series decider on Saturday, December 6.