Ruturaj Gaikwad reveals how unique environment in CSK dressing room helped him turn things around in IPL 2020

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had very few positives from IPL 2020 and one of them was the emergence of Ruturaj Gaikwad. The three-time champions had endured a disastrous time in last year’s tournament as they missed out on a playoff spot for the first time in the history of the IPL. The MS Dhoni-led side finished the season at the seventh spot with 6 wins from 14 games.

The number of wins might tell a different story but the reality is that CSK struggled throughout the season and were out of the playoffs race after managing just three wins from 11 games. The Chennai-based outfit then won their last three games to bow out of the competition on a respectable note. And the man who helped them win those three games was Gaikwad.

The highly-rated batsman scored fifties in all three games as CSK finally managed to string together a series of wins. But just like CSK, Gaikwad had also struggled to do well at the start of the tournament. In his first three games, he had managed to score just 5 runs which included two ducks before making amends in the last three games with a hat-trick of half-centuries.

Ruturaj Gaikwad on his turnaround

The Maharashtra batsman recently opened up on turning his fortunes around in IPL 2020. In a Q&A session on Instagram, Ruturaj Gaikwad was asked how he managed to overcome his early failure in the tournament. In reply, he stated that the supportive environment in the CSK dressing room was one of the key reasons behind his turnaround.

“A lot matters on team atmosphere and how all the members in the team react to your failures…And I think CSK is one of the best in that and having everyone calm and cool minded around helped me focus more on my process..!” Gaikwad wrote in response.

Earlier, in an interview with Sportstar, Gaikwad had revealed how a chat with Dhoni also helped him regain his focus and motivated him. The young opener had revealed how the CSK skipper had himself walked up to him and motivated him to do well.

“Dhoni walked up to me and asked me if I was under pressure. He said, ‘We don’t want to pressurise you, but we have expectations from you. All I want to tell you is you are going to play the next three games without any doubt, whether you score a run or not. Try and enjoy these games and not think about performance,” Gaikwad recalled.