Ruturaj Gaikwad on MS Dhoni's influence: 'Whatever he speaks, it is always eye-catching'

Emerging batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been selected for the upcoming away limited-overs series against Sri Lanka has once again given special mention to his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni. Ruturaj Gaikwad recently revealed how MS Dhoni has helped him not just on the cricket field but also off it.

Ruturaj Gaikwad opens up on MS Dhoni's role in his life

"I think with Mahi Bhai, obviously whatever he speaks it is always eye-catching and I had heard that he spoke about me in the post-match presentation and all, I don't talk much with him, he knows that I'm a quiet and shy guy", said Ruturaj Gaikwad while speaking to PTI.

"When he (Dhoni) thinks I'm under the pump or pressure, he is first one to come and ask me that 'are you feeling something like that and you need not worry'," he recalled.

"Even last year there was a situation, where I started badly in IPL, so he was the one who came up first and asked me to relax and enjoy the game...it calmed my nerves a little bit and it helped me enjoy my game. There are lot of inputs he has given me throughout and they have not just helped in cricket but also helped me in life", the CSK batsman further added.

Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2020

Ruturaj Gaikwad finished IPL 2020 with 204 runs from six matches that he got to feature in for the franchise at an average of 51 and a strike rate of 120.71 including three half-centuries. 

India tour of Sri Lanka 2021/22

With the full-strength Indian squad in the United Kingdom for a three-and-a-half-month long tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent a team of white-ball specialists for an away limited-overs series against Sri Lanka starting July 13 where the Men In Blue are scheduled to play three ODIs and as manyT20Is. India will be led by opener Shikhar Dhawan while pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has been named his deputy for that particular series.

India's Full Squad against Sri Lanka: 

Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya

Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh