Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed their gratitude to play under the leadership of legendary skipper MS Dhoni in the cash-rich league and said that he always dreamt of playing Test cricket for India. The Indian opener is an integral part of the CSK setup in the IPL playing an important role in the team’s victory in the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
The 26-year-old has been a standout performer for their side in this edition of IPL 2023 setting up the right platform for the middle-order batters which helped him to earn his place in the Indian side and the right-hander opener will look to continue his fine form going into the West Indies series starting today.
Speaking on the BCCI podcast, Ruturaj Gaikwad credited his success in cricket to CSK and their skipper MS Dhoni, as learned the art of being calm from the legendary skipper MS Dhoni and said that red-ball cricket is the ultimate cricket for him to represent the country as it tests the skill set of the player at the highest level.
“That (calm nature) is a trait that I got from CSK. My professional career began in Chennai and I have learned a lot of things from Mahi bhai so I just try and apply those things.”
“Test cricket is the ultimate format for me too. Even I have dreamed of playing Test cricket for the country. I believe you get tested a lot in four-day and five-day red ball games and you have to go through a lot of phases,” Ruturaj Gaikwad said.
Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has grown up in the ranks in domestic cricket and the cash-rich league. The CSK opener played a pivotal role for his team in their title-winning campaign in the IPL 2023. It is reported that the Indian youngster is also part of the Chennai Super Kings leadership group under MS Dhoni.
Test Cricket Has Always Been A Priority For Me – Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed that test cricket is a priority for him in International cricket, as he offers a different dimension to the game and expressed his gratitude to be selected for the Indian team for the West Indies tour it will interesting to see whether the opener plays in the team.
“As a cricketer, you always want to be a part of those challenges. So Test cricket has always been a priority for me. I played ODIs and T20Is as well, but there’s a different sense of pride in getting selected in the Test team,” Ruturaj Gaikwad added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is one of the emerging stars in Indian Cricket, as he showed excellent temperament to excel in all three formats of the game in domestic cricket.
In 28 first-class games, Gaikwad has scored 1941 runs with nine Test hundreds to his name and can perform consistently well for the Indian team, when provided an opportunity to represent the country at the highest level.