'When I go to sleep, I generally switch off mobile data' - Ruturaj Gaikwad reveals how he got to know about India call-up

Playing for the country is the ultimate dream of every cricketer. When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad of India’s Sri Lanka tour in July, as many as five players inched a step closer to fulfilling that dream as Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Chetan Sakariya and Krishnappa Gowtham earned their maiden call-ups.

Even though the selection of the players largely comes down to India’s first-choice players catering duties in the United Kingdom, all the players will have a golden chance to prove their credentials with the ICC T20I World Cup looming.

Speaking about his selection and how his family reacted to it, Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings batter, told that he mistook his phone ringing repeatedly as a distress call from his friends.

When my phones started ringing continuously, I wasn’t sure what it was: Gaikwad

Gaikwad has managed to impress for consecutive seasons with the CSK in the IPL. Having suffered from Covid-19 before the 2020 edition in the UAE, he was slotted into the team in the latter half of the tournament, where he made an ominous start, though, only to come back roaring with three back-to-back fifties in what was one of the very few positives for his franchise, which had an unusually torrid time in the tournament.

In IPL 2021, Gaikwad was again fluent at the top of the order, and all that converted for him into a maiden selection. Having turned himself into an “early morning person”, Gaikwad had gone to sleep early and therefore missed the news of his selection, he told ESPNcricinfo.

“When I go to sleep, I generally switch off mobile data. I know if it’s an emergency, someone will generally call twice. When my phones started ringing continuously, I wasn’t first sure what it was,” Gaikwad said, laughing. “Then two journalists informed me of my selection.”

“I had to wake my parents up to tell them. They were quite deep in sleep and weren’t fully able to process what I was telling them at first. But this morning they woke up really happy and made some pedhas (sweets) at home, and I was happy to make an exception and have them to celebrate the happy news,” he added.

Opening up about how excited he is for the tour and being under the coaching of Rahul Dravid, he said: “I am also really excited to train and spend a month under Rahul Dravid, who was our India A coach when I was part of the team two years ago. …getting a chance to do that [pick Dravid’s brain] will be very useful for me.”

India is set to play three ODIs and as many T20Is on the tour of Sri Lanka, with all games to be hosted by R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo from July 13 onwards.