Ruturaj, one of the most talented players: Dhoni

Gaikwad scored his second straight half-century on Thursday to set up a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders

Dubai: A ‘reticent’ Ruturaj Gaikwad took some time to make a mark in the ongoing IPL but he has managed to impress his CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who believes that the young opener is “one of the most talented players going around”.

Gaikwad scored his second straight half-century on Thursday to set up a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders here. He got his chance after Chennai Super Kings decided to field untested players following a disastrous start to the season.

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“(The changes) are a conscious effort. We want to give games to people who haven’t played and we need them to grab those opportunities. Ruturaj we’d seen him in the nets, but then he got Covid positive and took 20 days. Unfortunate but he’ll remember this season,” said Dhoni at the post-match presentation.

“He’s one of the most talented players going around. What makes it difficult is he’s not somebody who speaks a lot, so sometimes it becomes difficult for the management to gauge a player.”

Gaikwad, who had tested Covid-19 positive in the lead up to the tournament, has all the shots and his style of play is pleasing to the eye.

Things did not look bright for the 23-year-old after he failed in his first three innings (0, 5, 0).
“Once he started going in the innings, you could see that he was hitting the ball the way he wants to and he was planning. When we made him play the first game, he got out, stepped out.

“It becomes difficult to tell whether it was the pressure that made him step out or whether that’s his natural game. One ball isn’t enough,” Dhoni said about the Maharashtra batsman.