Maharashtra captain and opener Ruturaj Gaikwad hit seven sixes in an over – a first in List A cricket – against Uttar Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final in Ahmedabad. The total of 43 runs from the over also made it to the record books. Gaikwad finished on 220 not out off 159 balls, with ten fours and 16 sixes.
Maharashtra allrounder Azim Kazi believes Ruturaj has started showing some characteristics similar to MS Dhoni. When Maharastra were playing a game in Ranchi, Dhoni came to visit the team and Kazi was surprised by the similarity.
“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.
‘He has changed the total set-up’- Azim Kazi
The 25-year-old is currently in the spotlight as he is in tremendous form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. His sensational knock in the quarter-final helped Maharashtra to qualify for the semi-final against Assam. The right-hander drew the selector’s attention once again who has been in and out of Team India’s scheme of things and he was also not considered in the T20I series against New Zealand recently.
Gaikwad is currently leading the Maharashtra team in the Vijay Hazare trophy and the way he is leading the team, the kind of form he is in, The Chennai Franchise opener can also be seen in the contender of Franchise’s next captain. Many Franchises have already taken the step to make youngsters captain like Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Hardik Pandya.
“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,” added Kazi.
