When Dhoni bhai was speaking, it literally felt like it was Gaikwad: Azim Kazi

Maharashtra’s Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently in the spotlight, thanks to his red-hot form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. His 220-run knock against Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-final of the tournament led Maharashtra into the semi-finals spot as they face Assam next. Azim Kazi, a teammate of Gaikwad's from Maharashtra, has, however, drawn a somewhat unusual comparison between Gaikwad and former India skipper MS Dhoni.

Selectors were once again drawn to Gaikwad, who has been in and out of the Indian setup after he pulled off the pretty much unheard feat of hitting seven sixes in a row. Gaikwad hammered Shiva Singh, a left-arm spinner, for 43 runs in an over, sending him over the ropes seven times, courtesy of a no-ball.

When Maharashtra played a game in Ranchi, Dhoni paid the squad a visit, and Kazi couldn't help but be astonished by the likeness. He believes that Gaikwad has started to exhibit several characteristics that are reminiscent of Dhoni. Kazi's evaluation may have been influenced by Gaikwad's cool demeanor and his calmness under duress, but given that he has represented the Chennai Super Kings over the past few years under Dhoni, there may be some truth to it.

“Actually, when Dhoni bhai was speaking, it literally felt like it was Gaikwad. The things he said, was similar to what Rutu has been telling us. Since he has been part of CSK, he has been able to interact with Dhoni bhai and he is passing to us, but for sure there a few similarities. We all have read and heard how Dhoni bhai operates the team and that is what Gaikwad has been doing here,” Kazi told the Daily.

Ruturaj has become our everything: Kazi

Gaikwad might also take over the captaincy at CSK soon, and be Dhoni's successor. He might join other youthful captains like Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya in emerging as the ideal contender to lead CSK into the future after the team's attempt of choosing Ravindra Jadeja the leader last year failed miserably.

“He has become our everything. We are getting to learn new things. He has changed the total set-up and how we prepare ourselves. We are together as a team even in the hotel. For instance, he has left his hotel room open at all times and we can go and seek his help for anything. If a player is struggling, he is the first one to point it out off the field and say how to rectify it. What is more impressive is his gameplan and how he has identified a role for everyone and uses us judiciously,” Kazi further added.