IPL 2021: Only After He Settles Down Do We Watch Him Play - Ruturaj Gaikwad's Nervous Parents

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad’s parents revealed that they get very nervous watching their son play, especially at the start of his innings. Gaikwad played a match-winning knock of 88* against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the first game of the second leg of IPL 2021 in UAE.

Ruturaj’s father, Dashrath Gaikwad, stated that he and his wife were on the road travelling back to their native place when the match began. Nevertheless, they began watching only after relatives revealed that Ruturaj had reached his fifty.

“We get tense before every match and feel the pressure even more because Ruturaj opens the innings for his team. Only after he settles down do we prefer to watch him play. By the time we reached the village, the match had already started.“

“But we still did not watch it. Only after we got to learn from the villagers and relatives that he had scored 50 runs, we watched the rest of the match. However, his mother watched the game only for a while and then got down with household chores,” Dashrath said to the Indian Express.

Dashrath continued by saying that the family rarely watches Ruturaj play right from his school days. This is partly because of the added expectations that Ruturaj might have to carry on his shoulders.

“If we go to the ground, it will play at the back of his mind and put an added pressure on him… We hardly discuss cricket with him at home. In fact, we discuss everything but cricket with him,” Dashrath added.

The innings should infuse new confidence in him – Dashrath on son Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s knock was pivotal as it gave CSK the chance to defend. The team was struggling in the powerplay, having lost four wickets for 24. Going forward into the rest of the matches, this knock will give him the confidence in tough situations, his father said.

“This particular inning came under severe pressure, as Chennai Super Kings were three down for 7. Ruturaj first settled down and then launched an attack on Mumbai Indians in the company of Dwayne Bravo. Since he lifted his team from a precarious position to a winning position, it should certainly infuse new confidence in him,” Dashrath Gaikwad added.

Ruturaj’s well-measured fifty helped CSK put up a good total before the bowlers restricted the MI batsmen to secure a 20-run victory.

Also Read – IPL 2021: Virender Sehwag Thoroughly Impressed With MS Dhoni’s Captaincy Against MI