One of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Maharashtra teammates has come up with a rather remarkable take comparing the batsman to the one and only MS Dhoni. Ruturaj Gaikwad has captured the imagination of one and all following his incredible knock of 220 for Maharashtra against Uttar Pradesh in the semifinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday.
Gaikwad, who has been in and out of Team India’s scheme of things, once again grabbed the attention of selectors when he achieved the never-before-heard feat of smoking 7 sixes in an over. Gaikwad pummelled left-arm spinner Shiva Singh for 43 runs in an over, dispatching him over the ropes seven times courtesy a no-ball.
One of Gaikwad’s Maharashtra teammates though has come up with a rather remarkable take comparing Ruturaj to the one and only MS Dhoni. Azim Kazi, who is playing along with Gaikwad in the Maharashtra XI, reckons Ruturaj has started showing plenty of traits similar to Dhoni.
Gaikwad’s composed demeanour and the ability to remain calm under pressure could be one such reason behind Kazi’s assessment but given how Ruturaj has come of age playing under Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings, there could be a certain degree of authenticity to it. In a report published by The Indian Express, when Maharashtra were playing a game in Ranchi, the team was paid a visit by Dhoni, and Kazi could not help but get startled at the similarity.
“Actually, when Dhoni bhai was speaking, it literally felt like it was Gaikwad. The things he said, was similar to what Rutu has been telling us. Since he has been part of CSK, he has been able to interact with Dhoni bhai and he is passing to us, but for sure there a few similarities. We all have read and heard how Dhoni bhai operates the team and that is what Gaikwad has been doing here,” Kazi told the Daily.
Gaikwad could also well be Dhoni’s successor at CSK from next year. With the franchise’s experiment of making Ravindra Jadeja the captain last year failing big time, Gaikwad could join the likes of other young captains such as Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya to emerge as the perfect candidate to usher CSK into the future.
“He has become our everything. We are getting to learn new things. He has changed the total set-up and how we prepare ourselves. We are together as a team even in the hotel. For instance, he has left his hotel room open at all times and we can go and seek his help for anything.
If a player is struggling, he is the first one to point it out off the field and say how to rectify it. What is more impressive is his gameplan and how he has identified a role for everyone and uses us judiciously,” added Kazi.