Ruturaj Gaikwad is a specialist opener in the white-ball format and the team management’s decision to play him at No. 4 in the opening ODI in Ranchi ended in disaster as he lasted only 14 balls.
The start to his knock in Raipur on Wednesday wasn’t shorn of drama either as he barely managed to ward off a snorter from Marco Jansen. Gaikwad didn’t look back thereafter as he played with conviction on way to his maiden international century.
The CSK captain knew another failure could jeopardise his chances of being in the team. Head coach Gautam Gambhir was also certain to face the wrath for trying him out in an unconventional position.
It’s not that the No. 4 spot is alien to him, having batted at that position in the red-ball format regularly for Maharashtra. Gaikwad has been in good nick in the Ranji
Trophy too, averaging 149.00 in four innings for Maharashtra this season.
His innings of 105 off 83 balls comes at a time when the team is struggling to find a proper No. 3 in Test cricket. Sai Sudharsan hasn’t had the desired success
and going by the selectors’ mindset, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gaikwad is tried
out in that position when India play their next Test in July-August.
He has the ability to play risk-free cricket, yet dominate, which can make it difficult for the spinners to create an impact in the middle overs. How Gaikwad performs in the domestic circuit will be of huge importance in deciding his fate.
The way he blunted the South African spinners on Wednesday could provide hope in a line-up which has struggled against the likes of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj in the two Test matches.
“I feel it’s a privilege to have that kind of confidence from the management towards an opener who can bat at No. 4 as well. I took it that way,” Gaikwad said. “It was just a matter of how I can play my first 10-15 balls, and after that, the process remains the same.”
The experience of playing long innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy helped him in Raipur as he stitched together a 195-run stand for the third wicket with Virat Kohli.
“In one-day format, even when I was opening, I have always tried to make sure I am able to bat till the 45th over and capitalise after that,” he said.
“Somehow, I knew how to play in between (overs) 11 to 40, how to rotate strike (and) what are the boundary options. I was pretty much confident about how I can go through.”
Gaikwad had been troubled by injuries last season and even missed a large part of the IPL, but he is focusing on the present now.
“It is better if you don’t think too much about all these things, because (if) you are not in the present and whatever matches are in front of you, you don’t have that much focus and that much preparation. Obviously, in the last Vijay Hazare Trophy, I wasn’t able to make that many runs,” he said.
“Some things were going on in my mind, but after that, this year I thought that whichever match it is, whether it is a club game or any red-ball (or) white-ball format I play, I will make sure to stay consistent.
“If I get an opportunity, (it’s) well and good, even if I don’t get an opportunity, it is still fine. I realise that it is my duty to keep scoring runs as much as possible,” he added.
It is too early to talk of Gaikwad’s prospects in the red-ball format since six months is a long time in cricket. But the team management’s inclination to try out players who have done well in the shorter formats does spell hope for the Maharashtra batter.
How many opportunities Gaikwad gets once Shreyas Iyer makes a comeback will be the crucial factor. But if he can remain consistent in the Ranji Trophy, he will be in the running for a Test berth. His ability to tackle the spinners with aplomb, a dying art in the domestic circuit, gives him a headstart in this regard.