“Mahi bhai always says to take it one game at time”: Team India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on his captaincy role

Dublin [Ireland], August 21 (ANI): Team India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad described captaincy as a complicated role and spoke about his Indian Premier League (IPL) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni, stating that it’s essential to take things one game at a time.

Gaikwad, who is now in Ireland with the Indian T20I squad, will lead Team India at the Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8.

The opener slammed a classy half-century (58 runs off 43 balls) to help India post a good total of 185/5 against Ireland in the second T20I. India clinched the three-match series against Ireland with an impressive 33-run victory in Dublin on Sunday.

Gaikwad revealed what he has learnt about captaincy from his CSK skipper Dhoni. 

“I think leadership role is a very complicated thing, to be honest. What Mahi bhai always says is to take it one game at a time. Just be in the present moment, don’t worry about the future. Everyone creates hype and whatever it is. I am not the kind of person who watches social media and hears about what anyone is saying about me,” Gaikwad said in a post-match press conference. 

“I think this is one of the traits that I have learned at CSK. I am pretty much clear about giving my best in the field, coming back home, chilling with my friends,” the opener added.

Gaikwad went on to say that leadership is also about instilling maximum confidence in the players who are playing.

“(It is important to) make sure that I step into their shoes and think about what they are thinking and what they are going through. Sometimes the batters and bowlers have their own plans, they are really thinking about the game from their perspective. So, I feel it is important to back them at that moment. After the game, there is always an opportunity [to think] of what went wrong, what we could have improved,” he said.