'Be In The Moment And Enjoy'- Ruturaj Gaikwad Reveals MS Dhoni's Advice On His IPL Debut

When the Pune-born cricketer was making his Indian Premier League debut, MS Dhoni, the team’s captain, gave him the advice to be present and enjoy the game, according to Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on Tuesday.

Gaikwad was purchased by CSK for Rs 20 lakh in the IPL 2019 Player Auction. The batter was retained by the organisation for Rs 6 crore before the 2022 league season following a fantastic 2021 season in which he hit 635 runs in 16 matches.

You Just Need To Be In That Moment And Enjoy It: Ruturaj Gaikwad Shares MS Dhoni’s Words To Him

Gaikwad spoke while interacting with pupils at the Super Kings Academy in this location.

“When I made my debut, he (M.S Dhoni) was very clear. He said to enjoy the game. Representing this franchise is a huge achievement, a lot of great players have been part of this dressing room, and a lot of greats have been involved with this franchise.

So, I think he just said that ‘you just need to be in that moment and enjoy’ it,” .

The 25-year-old, who took home the Orange Cap in the IPL 2021, has been CSK’s most reliable opener in recent years. But he also had setbacks when he first joined the franchise.

“I really need to be thankful and grateful that I was in a really good team which has a very good environment. Also, having M.S Dhoni around me helped a lot as well. In that process, I never felt that I was having a setback.

“If I look back now, yes, I had failures to start off with, but the management, the team and the coach made me feel (good). I would give a lot of credit to the whole CSK team, the captain and coach,” he said.

Every cricketer has disappointments throughout their careers, much like the right-handed batter, but it’s crucial to maintain optimism.

“It is really important to stay positive and believe in yourself because you will have done a lot of hard work throughout and you will have failures in cricket. It will not happen that every day you will score runs. You will have failures. I think you really need to stay positive,” said Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Also Read: India vs South Africa: Match Preview, South Africa Tour Of India 2022, 1st T20I