Ruturaj Gaikwad has numerous qualities that are worthy of admiration. Renowned Indian spinner R Ashwin draws a parallel between Gaikwad’s graceful batting and “Prabhu Deva’s dance moves,” expressing his willingness to watch him on the practice nets all day. Kiran More, a former Indian wicketkeeper and selector, envisions Gaikwad as a potential future captain of the Indian team.
At 26 years old, Gaikwad showcased his prowess with a clever 43-ball 58, significantly elevating India’s position in the second T20I. Drawing inspiration from his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, he has skillfully dismissed the undue hype surrounding him, labelling it as unnecessary.
“To be honest, I believe that playing a leadership role is a really difficult task. Take each game as it comes, Mahi bhai constantly advises. Keep your focus on the here and now, and put your future worries aside. Everyone makes noise and hype about anything. I am not the type of person that actively monitors social media to find out what people are saying about me. This, I believe, is one of the qualities I picked up at CSK.” After India’s 33-run victory in the second T20 in Dublin, he told reporters, “I am very much clear about giving my best on the field, going home, and hanging out with my pals.
On his leadership
Leadership varies from “person to person,” according to Ruturaj, who captains India and plays for his state team Maharashtra in domestic cricket.
“Leadership for me is to give maximum confidence to the ten players, who are playing. Make sure that I step into their shoes and think about what they are thinking and what they are going through. Sometimes the batters and bowlers have their own plans, they are really thinking about the game from their perspective. So, I feel it is important to back them in that moment. After the game, there is always an opportunity of what went wrong, what we could have improved. For me in the game particularly, it is more about giving freedom to the players. Make sure they back themselves first. Too many suggestions also create confusion; this is what I believe,” he said.
On the pitch
The Indian team is pleased to have won the series against a strong Ireland team, although the opening batsman acknowledged that the second ODI surface was a little slower than usual.
“Overnight rain made the pitch a little slower, and the nonstop rain for the past couple of days has made it a little moist. There was a soft tennis ball bounce, and it was little slower than average. The slower balls and cutters, in his opinion, were challenging to hit on this wicket because of the tricky back of the length to negotiate.”
“I believe we played well in both games of cricket. Ireland, in my opinion, is a very competitive team, and they performed well today.”
On Rinku Singh
It was Rinku Singh (38), who was undoubtedly a crowd favourite and gave India the finishing touch in the final over, who set the tone with a 71-run combination with Sanju Samson for the third wicket.
The vice-captain of India praised Rinku and mentioned the lessons that kids might pick up from watching him play.
“In the IPL, Rinku is already everyone’s favourite. He has displayed a lot of maturity in the way he has batted in the IPL,” the speaker claimed.
“I believe that one of his distinguishing characteristics is that he doesn’t attack from ball one. In every circumstance, he allows himself time. He always evaluates the situation before engaging the bowlers”.
“It is beneficial to pick up tips from all the young players that aspire to be finishers. You should always take your time; you can always make up for it later. He is adept at using the trigger. He was batting for the first time in international cricket, so it was a significant innings for him. I think this will really assist him,” Gaikwad remarked.
On his knock
In the T20 format, Gaikwad openly acknowledged that having the opportunity to chew up some early deliveries to settle down makes opening batsman status a luxury.
He said, “I think being an opener, I have the luxury to eat up some balls upfront. Face 10-15 balls, and then come back and cover.”
“It is difficult for batters coming in. Usually, there are fewer overs left. Sometimes 8 or 10. They cannot afford to play too many dot balls. Being an opener, it is always great to assess the wicket, play accordingly and figure out what shots you can play and what shots you can’t play.
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