Indian cricketer and captain of the Chennai Super Kings team Ruturaj Gaikwad recalled former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and said, “…till now whenever he [Dhoni] is around I get goosebumps, but I have to get myself back and focus.”
Talking about his cricketing idols, Gaikwad, while interacting with kids at the Poona Club cricket ground in Bund Garden, said that while growing up, like almost all cricket lovers in India, his idol was Sachin Tendulkar.
“After that when he retired, I started admiring M.S Dhoni…For the first time [I was] very nervous [while sharing a dressing room with Dhoni]. Obviously I had never met anyone with that kind of a stature. But he made me feel comfortable and made me feel like I’m a part of the team. After that till now whenever he is around I get goosebumps but I have to get myself back and focus,” he said.
He also described the feeling of playing with a player like Dhoni and said, “I never dreamt about it, playing with M S Dhoni. With the kind of age difference we have he is almost 16-18 years older than me. So every time I go out to bat for CSK in the IPLmy only aim is to play till M S Dhoni comes to bat.”
Gaikwad also responded to a question about bad form and said, “I think bad form is just in your mind. Everyday you go out to bat it’s a new start, you start from zero. So previously whatever you have done, it doesn’t matter. You just have to refresh your mind and have confidence. Do not believe in bad form, believe in yourself.”
