Ruturaj Gaikwad Reveals MS Dhoni's 'Words' to Him That Changed His Life in IPL 2020 

MS Dhoni has been one of the most accomplished and respected players in the history of cricket. He is the only player in the country to victory in a T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup, and the Champions Trophy. Not just that Dhoni also managed to make India the no.1 team in Test rankings. 

With these big honours to his name, Dhoni has been respected and looked up by several players as a master motivator to younger players. 

Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) new batting sensation Ruturaj Gaikwad recently revealed the conversation he had with MS Dhoni after his tough start in IPL 2020.

The 23-year-old Gaikwad impressed everyone with his batting in the last three matches after he hit three consecutive IPL fifties – 65* off 51 (RCB), 72 off 53 (KKR) and 62* off 49 (KXIP) and took CSK to victories in all these games.

During his conversation with Sportstar, Gaikwad revealed how Dhoni inspired him after he was dismissed for a duck in his debut match. "I knew the challenges lying ahead in the MI game, and I had prepared to face the likes of Boult, [Jasprit] Bumrah and [James] Pattinson. But I think my dismissal kind of set the tone and we could never recover, getting bowled out for 110 odd [114 for 9]."

“I was blaming myself for getting out off the new ball and being unable to give the team the start. It reflected in the field. I never let a ball slip through the legs or drop a regulation catch, but it happened in the field. It reflected in the field that my confidence was low," he added.

Further revealing how Dhoni walked up to him and expressed himself for the team, Gaikwad stated “Dhoni walked up to me and asked me if I was under pressure. He said, ‘We don’t want to pressurise you, but we have expectations from you. All I want to tell you is you are going to play the next three games without any doubt, whether you score a run or not. Try and enjoy these games and not think about performance.”

“He told me not to worry about ups and downs and to enjoy the performance. After that chat, my thought process changed. Till then, I was desperately thinking about stuff like when will I get my first boundary in the IPL or when will I have my first impact, even with a 15-20 run cameo," the CSK star added. 

Also, talking about how the conversation changed his life, the young cricketers said; “But after that conversation, it was a drastic change. I remember during that RCB game, I was only thinking about contributing to the team’s cause in that situation. I think the captain sensed my frame of mind, changed my thought process, and freed me up,” Gaikwad concluded.

Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in August 15, returned to the cricketing field in IPL 2020 but did not have a good start in the 13th season. This year at the IPL, CSK failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in their history. They will now hope to overcome the blip in 2020 when they enter the field in IPL 2021 which is just few months away.