Ruturaj Gaikwad got married to his long-time beau Utkarsha Pawar in June in Mahabaleshwar when the Indian team was in England for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Very little was known about Utkarsha as she was seen on a regular basis with Ruituraj only from IPL 2023 onwards. Later, it was revealed that she is also a cricketer and has played for Maharashtra in domestic cricket.
Utkarsha, who also hails from Pune, has played 39 List-A and 45 T20 matches for Maharashtra. Even though the all-rounder last played a cricket match in 2021, she doesn't want to leave playing the game saying that the question of continuing cricket has only come from outside and that it hasn't even occurred in her family.
Speaking on the Marathi cricket podcast, ‘Coffee, Cricket Aani Barach Kaahi’, Utkarsha said, "I will continue to play cricket for as long as I wish and as long as my body allows me. One can be 200 per cent sure about it, not just 100 per cent.
“I am repeatedly asked about my career now that I am married. Not from the family but only the outsiders seem to be worried about it. My family is supportive. Ruturaj’s family is extremely supportive, our relatives are also supportive… but the question does come up from the outsiders,” Utkarsha further said, who is in the West Indies currently with Ruturaj.
Utkarsha, who has followed Zaheer Khan from an early age, said that she has the full support of her parents, in-laws and husband Ruturaj to continue playing cricket as long as she wishes to do. While Utkarsha has been in the news for off-field reasons since tying the knot with Ruturaj, her husband is on the heels of making his captaincy debut for India as he has been chosen to lead a young team in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
