Ruturaj Gaikwad reveals leadership lessons he learnt from MS Dhoni

Recently, former India wicketkeeper-batsman and selector Kiran More tipped promising batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad to be the ‘future India captain’. Moreover, veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin compares his elegant batting to ‘Prabhu Deva’s dance moves’ and someone who he can ‘pay to watch’ all day on the nets.

However, with humility, Gaikwad shunned down all the expectations by calling it an ‘unnecessary hype’. However, MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammate revealed that he has learnt many valuable leadership lessons under the captaincy of the Captain Cool.

“I think leadership role is a very complicated thing to be honest. What Mahi bhai always says is to take it one game at a time. Just be in the present moment and don’t worry about the future. Everyone creates hype and whatever it is. I am not the kind of person who do really watch social media and hear things about what anyone is saying about me. I think this is one of the traits that I have learned at CSK. I am pretty much clear about giving my best in the field, coming back home, chilling with my friends,” said Gaikwad during an interview.

The emerging batsman leads his state team Maharashtra in the domestic cricket. He will be leading India in the upcoming Asian Games. As per the elegant batter, leadership differs from person to person.

“Leadership for me is to give maximum confidence to the ten players, who are playing. Make sure that I step into their shoes and think about what they are thinking and what they are going through. Sometimes the batters and bowlers have their own plans, they are really thinking about the game from their perspective. So, I feel it is important to back them in that moment,” said Gaikwad.