Ruturaj Gaikwad played an amazing knock of 57 runs in 35 balls in the third T20I against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. This was the first T20I fifty of Ruturaj in his sixth T20I game. It was a crucial game for Ruturaj considering he scored low scores in the first 5 T20I matches of his career.
However, Ruturaj feels he didn’t feel burdened due to it and this is part of sports. Gaikwad feels people have high expectations from him due to his performance in IPL 2021. Ruturaj said: “Not really on the edge, it is just part and parcel of the sport. Last year I had a really good year so people come with a lot of expectations when you have a great year even in IPL and domestic.”
Talking about his performance in IPL 2022, Ruturaj Gaikwad said: “In the IPL, the wicket was slightly bowler-friendly. There was no flat wicket, it was two-paced, the ball was turning, and there was some swing. So 3-4 games in IPL, I got out to good balls where in some dismissals, some good shots went to the fielder’s hand, it is part of T20 cricket.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 23 and 1 run in the first 2 T20I matches of this series. But he brought his A game in the deciding match of T20I series. “You will have off days and really bad days. It is a matter of staying consistent mentally, trusting your process.”, Gaikwad said when asked about how he handles failures.
“It is about putting pressure on Bowlers”- Ruturaj Gaikwad on his approach in T20 cricket
Ruturaj Gaikwad believes that the first two Wickets in this T20I series were a bit tacky initially. However the pitch at Vishakhapatnam was good to bat. Ruturaj said: “Coming into the series as well, the first two wickets I felt were on the tacky side. It was stopping a bit batting first in the last two games but here the wicket was good, ball was coming into the bat.”
“Going after the bowlers was not about being reckless or playing rash shots. I think we as a batting unit have some strength, certain shots we play as individuals. It is about backing ourselves and putting pressure on the bowlers.”, said Ruturaj Gaikwad when asked about how he approaches his innings in T20 Cricket.
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