The Chennai Super Kings and India right-hander spoke of stiff competition taking its own toll on young aspiring talents like him.
Ruturaj Gaikwad spoke with honesty about his standing in India’s hierarchy of top-order options with the bat and insisted it was a “mixed feeling” to score a composed half-century in the second T20I against Ireland in Dublin this Sunday (August 20).
Gaikwad helped India navigate past a poor start as they lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma early and played a matured anchor’s knock to give the middle-order the right foundation to unleash their aggressive game.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batter made a 43-ball 58 while sharing a brilliant third-wicket stand of 71 runs with the attacking Sanju Samson, who compiled a fruitful knock of 40. It was Gaikwad’s second half-century in T20Is for India over 10 sporadic innings played in a stop-and-start career since his debut back in July 2021.
The player was delighted to have contributed in his team’s series-sealing triumph but equally mindful that even such knocks may not suffice for him to cement his place when incumbents Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan return to bat at the top, which got him talking about his mindset as a young India cricketer.
Gaikwad says for him the key is to focus on the controllables and make sure his preparations are spot in at practice before each innings he plays for the country.
About to lead India’s second-string T20I side next month in the Asian Games in China, the technically solid right-hander did concede the competition can take its mental toll on players like him but also insisted it’s critical for him to be in the right headspace.
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“This series is very important to me. It makes a big difference when you are playing the series from the first match. You come in with a lot of confidence, lot of preparation and the right mindset. But I think you also accept sometimes that there is no space in the main team; there are batters who are doing really well. It is a mixed feeling,” Gaikwad 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,” he added.
