Gaikwad and a match-winner’s intent
MUMBAI: Ruturaj Gaikwad makes batting look effortless, but don’t let his touch mask the tough interior. Thanks to lessons imbibed from his parents, hard work is never an issue. “My mother is a teacher. Earlier, she was at a school five minutes from home. After her transfer, it now takes around 45 minutes for her to reach the school. She has to take a crowded bus, walk some distance. After school, it’s straight to household chores,” says the 24-year-old. “She used to give her example that she can always complain: ‘but I remind myself that I love doing this work. I have to do it.’”
Gaikwad learnt from his mother to enjoy “every little moment of whatever you are doing” and give it his best shot. “I always make sure I don’t complain, look at things in a positive way, go through that process and enjoy it.”
Life is demanding if you are an Indian cricketer trying to reach the top. The Maharashtra batter has had his ups and downs. On Ranji Trophy debut against Jharkhand, he was struck by a Varun Aaron delivery and fractured his hand. It derailed his season. He tested Covid-19 positive before IPL 2020 in UAE. It led to 14-day quarantine in the hotel room. And as the highest run-getter last IPL (635 runs in 16 matches), the CSK opener didn’t get a game in the T20I series against New Zealand. Gaikwad responded with four hundreds in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“He is that kind of person, always looking forward to the next day rather than what he achieved today. During his childhood, occasionally when we asked him about his game, he would not remember the details clearly even if he had done well,” says father Dashrat, a retired central government employee.
Gaikwad was also prolific in the T20 Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 51, 80, 81, 3 and 44. “I never thought I will be an orange cap winner, plus win IPL,” he says. “After returning from the UAE, there was Mushtaq Ali. I had to make sure I kept my focus for my team which needs my experience.”
Gaikwad’s run of big scores is proof of his solid basics: balance, position of the head, watching the ball till as late as possible. His cover drive is eye-catching too. “From childhood, cover drive is my favourite shot. My foot goes to the pitch of the ball, in line. I don’t look to hit it with power, I look to time it. When you time it, you watch the ball a little bit closer, your bat face is at the right place.”
Decisive footwork differentiates the best from the good batters. Raised on placid wickets, subcontinent batsmen can get away with hand-eye coordination. But good footwork allied to correct basics gives a massive advantage. Gaikwad’s game stands out in how he uses the crease. “I always had a big stride. Growing up, I was used to playing bowlers lacking pace, so I had to reach out. Eventually, I realised I can do that against quick bowlers as well.”
The absence of bulging muscles is no issue; the Pune batter shows good control over the pull and cut. “When I went to New Zealand in January 2020, I realised I need to improve my backfoot game. I scored 90, 50 and 30. I realised I am slightly weak on the back foot. The lockdown came after that and I had time to work on that.”
That sweep shot
Among Gaikwad’s shots, the sweep off Mumbai Indians’ Jas-* prit Bumrah was breathtaking for its daring. Getting into perfect position against one of the world’s top fast bowlers, he converted a yorker into full-toss, sweeping over backward squareleg for a 76m six.
“One day I just thought why can’t I play it against fast bowlers? I started trying it in local matches, but in state matches I feared it would look bad if I got out. But I felt it is a very useful shot, and puts the bowlers on the back foot,” he says.
On the sweep against Bumrah,
he says: “In the previous over, Bumrah’s execution of yorker was good, so I felt maybe he will again bowl one. The square-leg was up so I thought if I time it, I will get a boundary. Thankfully he did and I got the execution right.”
In that first game between IPL’s two most successful teams, CSK were 24/4 in six overs before Gaikwad took them to a competitive 156/6. It marked his transformation into a match-winner. “In the India leg, my aim was to just contribute. I used to think there are (already) a lot of match-winners in this team. After that, I got picked for the Sri Lanka tour, I made my debut and played two matches, but got out cheaply in both. I realised that since I am an international cricketer now, I have the potential. It gave me a lot of confidence. In the UAE leg, I came with the intent to be a matchwinner.”
Batting is so technical. For someone well-drilled in the basics, who does he consult when in doubt?
“I don’t rely on anyone. Yes, I have suggestions coming from whichever coach I go to. I am not the one who starts the conversations. I always want to answer my own questions.
“Going into the UAE leg of IPL, I thought I will tap the bat between the feet. I tried it at practice, didn’t ask anyone. I told (CSK coach) Stephen Fleming that I just made this change. He asked: ‘Are you feeling comfortable?’ When I said yes, he said, ‘go ahead’. I felt I will be more comfortable playing on both sides, even against the incoming delivery.”
First IPL hundred
In the last IPL, Gaikwad hit his first hundred, 101* off 60 balls, versus Rajasthan Royals.
“I realised the wicket was slow and they were bowling slower ones. Stepping out is not my game; I waited, and once the spinners came on after 10 overs, I completed my fifty (43 balls). The next fifty took me 17 balls.”
Among the four players retained by CSK, he knows it is tough being an opener in India. The competition is intense.
“I don’t focus on the selection process. That is the advantage of playing under Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni.”