Does Ruturaj Gaikwad have any prior T20 captaincy experience?
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have a new leader at the helm in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2024, who has some huge shoes to fill. The opening batter's succession to leadership can simultaneously be considered a surprising move, as well as one that has been in the making for quite a while.
CSK fans still have harrowing memories of their 2022 campaign, where Ravindra Jadeja was thrust into a leadership role ahead of the season. The botched experiment eventually led to their worst season, requiring intervention from MS Dhoni midway through. All of it led to CSK finishing in ninth place, something which was not even considered plausible, given their remarkable consistency.
Fans will be hoping that the transition will be a smoother process this time around, with major comfort arising from the fact that Dhoni is perched in the right place to oversee the entire process.
One of the major questions, which has arguably been rightly asked, is whether Gaikwad is ready to undertake such a huge responsibility. Although there is the undeniable quality of fans and the adoration from fans, the downside to it is the increased expectations, catalyzed by the franchise's rich silverware-laden history.
There have been several instances of players being thrust into the captaincy role without much experience at the highest level. Names like Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer spring to mind, with the latter now being the most-capped captain in IPL 2024 amid the flurry of leadership changes.
Ruturaj Gaikwad does have some leadership experience under his belt, and his appointment as CSK captain is hardly a case of a fish being dropped into a new tank. The whole process, much like how he had said it in his own words, with the announcement not coming across as a surprise, sums up how the franchise functions.
He has had time to prepare himself for the role. Although the IPL is a different experience altogether, it would not be wise to suggest that his previous work as a captain does not amount to anything.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been leading Maharashtra over the last couple of editions in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been Maharashtra's white-ball captain on the domestic circuit and has led the side in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament (SMAT). His first assignment as a T20 skipper was during the 2021 SMAT, where he led the team to second place in the group. However, he was unavailable for the preliminary quarter-final clash as the team were knocked out by Vidharbha.
In the 2022 edition of the tournament, he enjoyed prolific form, scoring 295 runs in five innings, but could not guide them to the knockout stage after finishing fifth in the group stage.
In the 2023-24 season, Maharashtra were led by Kedar Jadhav and failed to qualify for the knockouts.
Gaikwad led Team India to the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou
Ruturaj Gaikwad was assigned to lead the Indian contingent as cricket graced its presence at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Gaikwad led a second-string side to the event with VVS Laxman as the head coach, since the senior team were preparing for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Gaikwad led the team to two straight wins in the quarter-final and semi-final stages as India qualified directly for the knockout stages. The final against Afghanistan was interrupted by rain midway, but the Men in Blue were crowned as the gold medal winners.
The opening batter has since risen in the leadership hierarchy with the national senior team as well. He held the vice-captain position for the first three matches of the five-match home T20I series against Australia, while Suryakumar Yadav took charge of the proceedings.
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