Former Chairman of Selectors Dilip Vengsarkar has been hugely impressed with Ruturaj Gaikwad’s run in IPL 2021. He won the Orange Cap in a title-winning season for Chennai Super Kings scoring 635 runs for the season. He also won the Emerging Player of the Season award to cap off his incredible season with the bat.
Looking back to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s initial days as a cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar recalled his early memories of the 24-year-old, reminiscing how the batsman captivated his imagination at the tender age of 10 and was fast-tracked.
“He came to our Pune academy when he was 10. We choose players for our academy (based on ability), we just don’t get everybody. So, he was one of those young players we chose because he had excellent skills,” Vengsarkar told Khaleej Times.
“I also took him to England when he was around 16. I take my academy team to England every year to Lancashire. We play 10 matches every year. He scored hundreds in most of the games, and he scored big hundreds, the 160s, 170s.”
The right-hander played six games in IPL 2020 scoring just over 200 runs. He really came to the fore in this season of the IPL scoring the runs he did. Out of the 635 runs he scored over 400 of them in the UAE leg in just over nine games. With what Gaikwad has to offer, Vengsarkar reckons the selectors need to not waste time and include him in the team at the earliest.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Came To His Best Under MS Dhoni’s Guidance
“He has the game and he is mentally strong. The selectors must give him an opportunity. When you pick a guy who is in form, it helps. He is also young. If the selectors are convinced about his talent and temperament, then he should be picked straight away” said the former Indian skipper on the prodigy.
Get the latest update on IPL 2021, England vs India 2021, and other cricket news. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
