Ruturaj Gaikwad came up with a solid knock during the second game of the ongoing three-match T20I series against Ireland in Dublin. He smashed 58 runs off 43 balls, including six fours and one six. It was his second T20I fifty. Eventually, the Men in Blue won the game by 33 runs and seal the series 2-0 with one more match to go.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj attended the post-match presentation and there, he shared the advice MS Dhoni gave him about leadership. Gaikwad has been playing under Dhoni’s captaincy in IPL for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since 2019. Notably, despite being a part of the franchise, he got his first chance in 2021.
“For me in the game particularly, it is more about giving freedom to the players.” - Ruturaj Gaikwad
The CSK opener said: “I think leadership role is a very complicated thing to be honest. What Mahi bhai always says is to take it one game at a time. Just be in the present moment, don’t worry about the future. Everyone creates hype and whatever it is. I am not the kind of person who do really watch social media and hear things about what anyone is saying about me. I think this is one of the traits that I have learned at CSK. I am pretty much clear about giving my best in the field, coming back home, chilling with my friends.”
Gaikwad also said that leadership is all about giving confidence to all players. “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,” he further added.
“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,” Ruturaj Gaikwad concluded.
Here is how fans have reacted:
Mahi❤️
— WoKeIndian (@woke_indian12) August 21, 2023
So credit goes to MSD 👍😄
— Shubham saaho (@ShubhamSaaho) August 21, 2023
Dhoniiiiiiiii
— Tulip (@puripaw1) August 21, 2023
CSK LOBBY
— Nitesh Gupta (@guptaanitesh18) August 21, 2023
Bodied waterboy jokes
— 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐌𝐒𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐧™ (@Itzshreyas07) August 21, 2023
Great human msd
— Hitesh (@pedhayya) August 21, 2023
Credit Bazzi
— Felix Makwana (@felixmakwana) August 21, 2023
That is a very sound advice
— Danish (@danishiqbal__) August 21, 2023
He is an inspiration for millions.
— 🤡 (@HrithiksAvenger) August 21, 2023
MSD 🔥🔥💪