Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad had a rollercoaster ride in the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
After landing in UAE, Gaikwad tested positive for the novel Coronavirus and he had to be in isolation in a hotel room.
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After 22 days in quarantine and two negative COVID-19 tests, Ruturaj eventually returned to training. Two days after he joined the team, Ambati Rayudu sustained an injury and CSK skipper MS Dhoni asked the youngster to bat in the middle order.
A first-ball duck on debut against Rajasthan Royals was followed by 5 against Delhi Capitals, but the twin failures didn’t dent his confidence.
Once he was given the opportunity to open the innings, Gaikwad didn’t disappoint his captain and registered the scores of 0, 65*, 72 and 62* in four innings.
In an exclusive chat with Sportstar, Ruturaj Gaikwad reflected on his five-ball duck against Mumbai Indians (MI) and further revealed how Dhoni helped him overcome his fear of failure.
"I knew the challenges lying ahead in the MI (Mumbai Indians) game, and I had prepared to face the likes of (Trent) Boult, (Jasprit) Bumrah and (James) Pattinson. But I think my dismissal kind of set the tone and we could never recover, getting bowled out for 110 odd," he said.
"I was blaming myself for getting out off the new ball and being unable to give the team the start. It reflected in the field. I never let a ball slip through the legs or drop a regulation catch, but it happened in the field. It reflected in the field that my confidence was low."
After the match, Dhoni ensured Gaikwad that he was going to play the next three games irrespective of his performance.
"Dhoni walked up to me and asked me if I was under pressure. We don’t want to pressurise you, but we have expectations from you. All I want to tell you is you are going to play the next three games without any doubt, whether you score a run or not. Try and enjoy these games and not think about performance.
"Everyone in the camp realises the kind of phase you have been through and recovered from. Just try and enjoy your cricket without thinking about whether you will be able to play again for the team or not. Try and spend some really good time with the batsmen who are your teammates."
The CSK captain told Gaikwad he would come back as a "better person" having gone through so much.
“Whenever you recover from it, you will be a tougher and better person. It may happen any time, may take some time, or even happen in the next match.”
"He told me not to worry about ups and downs and to enjoy the performance. After that chat, my thought process changed. Till then, I was desperately thinking about stuff like when will I get my first boundary in the IPL (Indian Premier League) or when will I have my first impact, even with a 15-20 run cameo. But after that conversation, it was a drastic change. I remember during that RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore) game, I was only thinking about contributing to the team’s cause in that situation. I think the captain sensed my frame of mind, changed my thought process and freed me up."
