A specialist opener in white-ball cricket, Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to click in his maiden game at the coveted No. 4 post but came good in his second encounter with a hundred in Raipur and he stated he did not find it too tough to adjust to his new role.
Shreyas Iyer had done a great job for India at No. 4 in ODIs, but Gaikwad was given the task of building the innings by the team management when the Mumbai batsman was sidelined due to injury. Gaikwad performed admirably, scoring his first century in the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday.
After India lost the high-scoring contest by four wickets, Gaikwad told the media: “I feel it’s a privilege to have that kind of confidence from the management towards an opener who can bat at No 4 as well. I took it that way.”
“It was just matter of how I can play my first 10-15 balls and after that, the process remains the same,” he added.
In a 195-run third wicket partnership with Virat Kohli (102), the right-handed batsman hit a rapid 83-ball 105 to help India reach 358 for 5.
For Gaikwad, it was vital to channelize his experience of extended hauls in 50-over cricket as he appeared the perfect complement to Kohli throughout their 195-run stand, at times matching the batting great in strokes that he played and with exquisite running between wickets.
“In one-day format, even when I was opening, I have always tried to make sure I am able to bat till the 45th over and capitalise after that,” he said.
“Somehow, I knew how to play in between (overs) 11 to 40, how to rotate strike (and) what are the boundary options. I was pretty much confident about how I can go through.”
The 28-year-old Gaikwad gained a lot of insight into handling difficult circumstances off the field from his time away from the national team and injury layoffs during important competitions like the IPL earlier this year, where MS Dhoni took his place as captain of the Chennai Super Kings.
“It is better if you don’t think too much about all these things because (if) you are not in the present and whatever matches are in front of you, you don’t have that much focus and that much preparation. Obviously, in the last Vijay Hazare Trophy, I wasn’t able to make that many runs,” he said.
“Some things were going on in my mind, but after that, this year I thought that whichever match it is, whether it is a club game or any red-ball (or) white-ball format I play, I will make sure to stay consistent.
“If I get an opportunity, (it’s) well and good, even if I don’t get an opportunity, it is still fine. I realise that it is my duty to keep scoring runs as much as possible and if things happen (again it’s) well and good, if not, still well and good,” he added.
Gaikwad conceded his 83-ball 105, laced with 12 fours and two sixes, was so far the finest innings of his career.
“I would say yes, because obviously batting at No. 4 was also a challenge for me,” he admitted.
Gaikwad may not have anticipated getting match time with superstar Virat Kohli, but he remained focused on the task of scoring runs, which he feels is crucial.
“His (Kohli’s) batting is unbelievable and the amount of time he has and (also) how he is able to convert it in the match as well,” he said. “(But) I was trying to be in my zone and not really think about how he is batting or how he is able to score runs.”
He stated his chat with Kohli was about continuing the partnership, finding the gaps and alternating strikes.
“The chat in between was very clear. We had said (about scoring) 5-10 runs per over (is the) target and (also) how to manoeuver the (ball in the) gaps or how to hit those boundaries (and) how we can rotate strikes. We (also) had really good running between the wickets,” he said.
Gaikwad continued, “Nothing changes, whether I am captain of a state team, or (an) IPL team, or whether I am just a player. Even if I go and play domestic now, there is lot of expectation from me — even from my team — to not only score 100 or get those 50-60 runs but get those extra runs of what caliber I have.”
