Ruturaj Gaikwad on transition from MS Dhoni: 'Keep the culture of the CSK going'

MS Dhoni has had a strong bond with Chennai Super Kings, the IPL team he’s led to joint-most five titles. He’s not shied away from making it clear that he intends to call time on his cricket career by playing at the Chepauk. The new CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, hopes to keep that legacy going and doesn’t want to change anything for the defending champions.

Gaikwad, speaking after CSK's seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, said he doesn’t want to change anything just because he’s incharge now. He also clarified that Dhoni had spoken about plans to hand over the captaincy to him in IPL 2022 and in 2023. After every match, Gaikwad would sit with coach Stephen Fleming and discuss what he would have done if he was captain.

Gaikwad was acquired by CSK before IPL 2019. He didn’t play a game that season and started slowly in 2020 but the team persisted with him and have been rewarded since. He has held the Orange Cap and been crucial in two title wins. The youngster intends to offer the support forward to rest of the teammates.

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How Gaikwad came to know he would captain CSK

There wasn’t a dramatic conversation on the captaincy transition front. Gaikwad was told about the added responsibility in the middle of a training session with Dhoni.

“To be honest, not really deep conversations, I feel…it was in a very chilled state. Just one conversation I would say. Just we were practicing and he came and told me all this stuff. Obviously for everyone, others on the outside, they would think they are big shoes to fill but I feel I would always be myself and I would like to continue the culture that has been going.

“I remember in 2022 when he said to me, probably not next year, but after that you might get a chance to lead, so be ready for it. So obviously after that I was always ready for it. It was nothing new to me or a surprise or a shock. I know how to control the game. I know how the game progresses, which change [to make], what to do when, as I was doing for the state team as well. Even last year as well Fleming and me used to discuss captaincy after every game, about how I felt, what changes, bowling changes what I felt we needed to do, this or that. Every game we had one-on-one conversations so that really helped.”

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On Monday, Gaikwad had flashbacks of batting alongside Dhoni against KKR. With just three needed for victory, MS Dhoni stepped up for his first innings at Chepauk this IPL season. The crowd erupted, enough that Andre Russell, fielding on the boundary, had to shut his ears.

“I was actually thinking, it was a little bit [of a] tricky situation. I knew that he was facing the last ball of the [17th] over. There was less chances of him taking a single and facing the next over again. And I was always thinking that probably if he gets to play two-three dot balls and I go and play, if I had an opportunity to get a dot ball, I would’ve definitely done it. But, yeah, it was a little bit nostalgic for me. Even my first fifty, we ended up finishing the match together. That was the first time I was batting with him. So obviously immediately as he was walking in, I had that flashback in my mind so good to share the 22 yards with him.”

Gaikwad on his batting

This IPL season, Gaikwad has made 155 runs in five innings, including an unbeaten 67 off 58 balls against KKR, at a strike rate of 117.42. He has a new opening partner at the opposite end, an IPL rookie in Rachin Ravindra. Have the changes forced him to bat differently?

“There are certain things where the outside people don’t really get to know,” Gaikwad said. “Last year, [the] three, four games that we started, it was in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Mumbai and again Chennai. All those games were on flat wickets. So I feel the pitch really matters a lot.

“First game [this season] I thought I’d got a good start, got a good ball [out for 15]. Second game, same I think, I’d got a good start, had to accelerate a little bit, you tend to make a mistake there [out for 46]. And third game, again I felt I was in great shape, second ball not really do anything [out for 1].

“Sometimes there are phases where you get good balls. Sometimes there are phases where you are slightly unlucky. Sometimes there are phases where things don’t really fall in shape. [A] good shot, going into fielder’s hands. So you don’t really need to think on that. I always felt I was in good shape, starting really well, good headspace, so I wasn’t really worried.

“And captaincy, while batting, is a totally different approach. Even when I was playing my first game, or the first fifty I scored for CSK, I think [it was a] similar kind of situation, we were chasing 140 and I always wanted to stay till the end and make sure I finish the innings so pretty much same. Nothing really changes even though I am captain or not.”