IPL 2020: Soft-spoken Ruturaj Gaikwad attracts MS Dhoni's praise

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday heaped rich praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying the young opener is “one of the most talented players going around”. Gaikwad scored his second straight half-century to set up a six-wicket win over KKR here. “[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. We’d seen Ruturaj 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 him 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.

The CSK skipper also praised Ravindra Jadeja for his match-winning cameo, which included two sixes in the final over the game.

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