India youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad has been going through a sublime form with the bat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Although his side Maharashtra has been out of the 50-overs tournament, his stunning show stole the limelight.
However, Maharashtra won four out of five group league games but finished third in the Elite Group D points table due to a poor run rate. And, Ruturaj said that it was ‘harsh’ from their perspective to not qualify for the knockouts as well. Speaking to TOI, Ruturaj Gaikwad said:
“I think it (not qualifying) was harsh on us. We won four out of five games. In some other groups, teams who have lost two games out of five (Himachal, Vidarbha, TN, Karnataka) have also made it to the next stage.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad also stated they thought about the net run rate but their opponents played a good brand of cricket which didn’t work for Maharashtra and they eventually got out of the tournament.
“These things happen in cricket. The Kerala seventh-wicket pair batted too well. We have to give credit to the opposition too. We tried our best to break the partnership. We were aware about the possibility of net run rate coming into the equation. Hence we chose to field first against Uttarakhand. But sadly, it was difficult to score runs quickly on that pitch. The wicket changed its behaviour a bit in the second half too. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck too which proved elusive for us,” the youngster shared.
Notably, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh finished with the same points as Maharashtra (15) but qualified owing to a good net run rate.
“I’m just focusing on my process” – Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who did exceptionally well with the bat, smashing 603 runs in five innings, which also included four centuries, has revealed the secret of his consistency.
“No secret. I’m just focusing on my process and not thinking much, just trying to replicate the things again and again! It feels amazing. But it would have been nice if we as a team, we would’ve gone through. Personally, it’s a good achievement and I’m proud of myself and my team,” Ruturaj Gaikwad concluded.
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