"He obviously watches Dhoni very closely" - Michael Hussey on Ruturaj Gaikwad

Former Australian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey has heaped praise on Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has gone from strength to strength in his career. The Maharashtra-born batter has been piling up runs on the domestic circuit and is knocking on the national selectors' door yet again with his consistent performances.

Gaikwad rose to prominence in the last leg of matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season with a string of half-centuries.

He stamped his authority in the subsequent edition by claiming the Orange Cap, paving the way for an India call-up.

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The opening batter is known for his quiet demeanor and lets his performances speak for himself. Shedding further light on Gaikwad's attitude and terming him a "self-made" cricketer, Hussey told the Indian Express:

"He obviously watches Dhoni very closely. And the other impressive thing about him is he picks up things that other players don’t pick up that quickly. He is a self-made cricketer and obviously you need help along the way and he is quite good at picking up new things from other players."

Gaikwad has often spoken about MS Dhoni's influence on his career and has expressed his gratitude over the faith the legendary skipper bestowed upon him at the start of his stint with CSK.

He was among the four players that the franchise chose to retain after the IPL 2021 season. Despite a rather lean season earlier this year, Gaikwad is still a vital cog in the CSK setup.

Praising Gaikwad's ability to read the game and touting him as a calm person with leadership skills, Hussey said:

“I’m not sure what the plans for the future at CSK, but like Dhoni, he is very calm. He is actually very calm when it comes to handling the pressure like Dhoni and he is a very good reader of the game and as I said earlier, he is very observant and I think people are drawn to him because of his nature, character and personality and they like being around him. He has got some excellent leadership qualities."

The opening batter is currently leading Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare trophy. On the back of his record exploits in the knockouts, the state has made it to the final of the domestic 50-over tournament, where they will square off against Saurashtra on Friday, December 2.

"Even when we are at CSK, the discussions have been about the bigger picture, which is India" - Michael Hussey

While Gaikwad's domestic numbers surpass normality by a far margin, he has been unable to stamp his authority quite yet at the international level.

He averages 16.88 across eight T20I innings, while his lone ODI knock yielded 19 runs off 42 deliveries.

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Noting the tough path to the Indian team, Hussey reckons that the key is to convert the scores. The former Aussie batter said:

"When he gets going, he is such a wonderful player that you find it hard to stop. Even when we are at CSK, the discussions have been about the bigger picture, which is India."

Hussey continued:

"I know the competition is tough and there are a lot of good players in India, so you have to keep scoring runs. And not 50s and 60s or just a 100. If you get in and make a hundred, you have to make it like 150 or 200."

Gaikwad will be hoping to be in the conversation for the ODI World Cup squad next year with his exceptional form in List A cricket.

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