CHENNAI: 660 runs in five innings at an average of 220 and a strike rate of 113.59 — if someone had told Ruturaj Gaikwad at the start of the Vijay Hazare Trophy that is how he would fare, the Maharashtra captain would have taken it with eyes closed.
Although Maharashtra lost in the final to Saurashtra, they did not go without a fight and it was Ruturaj, who led from the front, with a gritty century.
The 131-ball 108 was in contrast to the kind of knocks he had played. In fact, his first 50 runs came in 96 balls. At a time when the emphasis on an aggressive approach with the bat in white-ball cricket is growing stronger than ever, it was an innings where he had to dig in deep before accelerating. And he believes it was a set pattern that they had laid out because of the conditions they were playing in.
“I think that particular approach or that style mainly depends on the situation and the kind of pitch that is there,” said Ruturaj in a select media interaction at the Mount Road Social, Chennai on Wednesday.
"As a team, we had a set plan about how we would approach 25-30 overs if you are batting first. We really went into that zone where even if we score 100 runs in 30 overs we are fine with that. If we have wickets in hand, I was pretty much confident that we would cross the 300 run mark after 50 overs.”
Ruturaj attributes this approach to the conditions and the early morning starts.
He said that while starting league games at 9 AM in domestic cricket is fine, it would be better if the knockouts had started in the afternoon.
“I think in domestic it is fine if we have league games starting at 9, but we played in Ranchi with games starting at 8.30 as well. So, I think where there are, conditions where it suits fast bowling, pretty much you are lagging behind from the first ball of the game till 15-20 overs. I think the team which wins the toss and bowls first has more advantage and opportunity to win the game. I feel especially in knockouts where all eight teams are as good as each other it is better to have the competition on whoever plays well on that day goes ahead rather than depending on the situation and the pitch.”
While Ruturaj has put on a show and the numbers that keep him on the selection radar in white-ball cricket, he is not thinking about it. For him, it is about contributing the best he can to the team he is playing for. And now, his focus shifts to red-ball cricket with the Ranji Trophy starting on December 13.
He believes that the switch is just on the mental approach and starting afresh. “My role is to make sure I give a good start to the team and make sure I carry on if I get a good start and bat till the end of the day. Just dominate that day because even in Ranji, there are times when you don’t want to lag behind. That is what I am looking forward to emphasizing on my opening partner and myself as well.”
Although the Maharashtra skipper did not play the previous Ranji Trophy season due to international duties, he was a part of India A squad that took the field against New Zealand A in September. He believes that sticking to the basics and two-three practice sessions would be enough for him to be ready for the tournament.
“It is just the basics that you need to follow, you need to change a little bit here and there and you need to adapt to the situation as quickly as possible. In a four-day game or Test match, there are three sessions, you need to start and end a session well and then you need to start and end well again. A lot of switch on and switch offs, you really need to be in the present and refocus throughout the time you are batting. I think a little bit extra focus is required and a little bit more patience you need to show, you can respect the good bowling as well.”