Gaikwad shared a photo of him and Dhoni from his debut Ranji game.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a solid performer for Maharashtra in domestic cricket and finally got to show his potential on the international stage after playing a series of amazing knocks for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2020.
Gaikwad was bought by the CSK franchise in IPL 2019 auction but didn’t get a game in that season as the yellow army marched into the finals, only to lose to Mumbai Indians by one run.
His IPL 2020 also didn’t start well as he was one of the 13 CSK members who tested positive for COVID-19 in UAE and had to spent 14 days in quarantine and only joined the training camp after testing negative three times over that period.
As Suresh Raina pulled out of the IPL 13, Gaikwad was seen as his replacement in the batting order, but he managed just 5 runs in the first three matches he played, including two ducks. He was then benched for an extended period of time, while CSK lost match after match.
IPL 2020: MS Dhoni hails Ruturaj Gaikwad for his match-winning knock against KKR
He was then given another chance as CSK’s hopes for playoffs qualification ended and he replied with three consecutive half-centuries, as the yellow army ended their IPL 13 on a winning note. He hit scores of 65*, 72, and 62* and showed that he is the one to be retained after MS Dhoni said that the CSK franchise will need to change its core and include more young players.
Meanwhile, playing with MS Dhoni was a dream of Gaikwad and he recently joined the “how it started, how it’s going” trend. He shared a throwback photo with Dhoni during a domestic match, where the former India captain is signing his cast and then shared a photo of them batting together in an IPL 13 match.
“How it started???????? How it’s going..2016????????2020 October 2016 I met him for the first time fractured my finger during my debut Ranji game,He was the mentor of Jharkhand ..And he himself came and asked me about how I am!! October 2020..3 low scores,he himself came up and talked about life!! Fortunate to be able to share the dressing room with him.. And more than a dream to share the 22 yards with him and Finishing things off!” Gaikwad captioned his post.