CHENNAI: Last February, when the Chennai Super Kings think-tank held a meeting at their office, a name was repeatedly mentioned as the one to watch out for - Ruturaj Gaikwad. Franchise officials were hugely impressed with his attitude. There was even an admission that in case he joins the Kings XI Punjab or Rajasthan Royals it would be because Chennai were not yet ready to look beyond Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis.
Bought at his base price of Rs 20 lakh, the 23-year-old has been part of the Chennai Kings set up since 2019. He was seen as a backup opener. His ability to hit straight had impressed not just head coach Stephen Fleming and batting coach Mike Hussey, but also MS Dhoni, who termed Gaikwad a 'most exciting talent'.
In the short camp Chennai had in August, prior to their departure for the UAE, it was Ruturaj who impressed the most. Such was his performance that Chennai actually thought of changing the combination to accommodate him.
So, when Ruturaj boarded the flight to Dubai, he believed an IPL debut wasn't far off. However, the next one month was far from what he had dreamt of. He was among the 10 in the Chennai camp laid low by coronavirus.
In Pictures | MS Dhoni to Glenn Maxwell: Biggest failures of IPL 2020
"I was developing the same symptoms the other guys had, like headache, body pain and all. There was a high possibility that it would be Covid. Deep down, I knew I had contracted the virus," Ruturaj told The New Indian Express. "I realised I can't do anything. So I accepted it. When the test result came, I didn't feel that bad because I'd accepted it two days ago."
As per local policy, Ruturaj joined the rest in an isolation ward where he had to spend the next 20 days. By now Dhoni, Fleming, Hussey and others were in touch with him, with the captain asking him to use the time to take good rest. Those days in isolation not only tested him physically, but also mentally.
"It was difficult to be honest. It was the first time you are experiencing isolation, spending so many days in a single room without doing anything. In social media, you see others practicing and having nets. I'm not even able to step out of the room. For the first three days, I had symptoms. But after that, I was feeling energetic. Still, the results were positive and that was tough to handle. I knew I would be alright soon. And it was about being patient. I was hoping to be alright in 14 days. Unfortunately, it didn't happen," he said.
Netflix and Amazon Prime along with his parents, elder sister and friends ensured he stayed in high spirits. There were also Hussey and Fleming, who kept him engaged on Zoom calls, boosting morale when needed. But Ruturaj revealed that after 10-12 days, his fight had moved from one against Covid to keeping his emotions in check.
"I was watching old IPL matches. But after some time, I became sick of watching cricket and not being able to play. I was getting irritated. By the 10th or 12th day, I completely took time off cricket. I was not following anything or following any news. It sort of relaxed me a little. They (Fleming, Hussey) were asking me to take care of the mental aspect more than the physical thing. Because we all know we will recover physically, mentally you have to handle it yourself," he added.
He would discover that physical struggles were nothing compared to what he would go through mentally. Sitting alone, his emotions would change frequently. He even broke down at times.
"I was in a good mind space when I landed, but to go through it all of a sudden was difficult. I felt every emotion — disappointment, sadness, frustration and it was up and down. I felt like crying and would shed a tear or two as I was missing a big opportunity. Then somehow, I thought I should stop doing that and try to stay positive. There on, I was concentrating on how well I can spend the next few hours and the day, much like batting in a Ranji match. I was finding ways to keep myself in a happy space."
After recovery, an injury to Ambati Rayudu and the team's fluctuating form forced Chennai to throw Ruturaj in the deep end. Scores of 0, 5, 0 in the first three matches didn't reflect his potential and he was dropped.
"I was not prepared for that game (debut) at all. And batting in the middle-order was new to me. You need a different game sense to play in the middle-order, which I had never experienced. When opening, you can take a little bit of time, but while batting in the middle, it changes constantly," he said.
Those failures, especially Gaikwad's dismissal by Trent Boult in his third match, prompted Dhoni to have a word with him.
"After that match, Mahi bhai spoke to me and he was like, 'are you under pressure or are you taking any pressure? We don't want you to do that.' He told me not to worry about performance and enjoy the game and assured me that I would play the remaining matches. He asked me to take time as I was batting well in the nets. It completely changed my mindset, body language, attitude. Till then, I was thinking I want to get my first IPL run, my first IPL boundary and personal stuff. But after that, I was completely changed. I just wanted to take the team to a better position and win the games for them."
That he did, with scores of 65*, 72 and 62*. He was Man of the Match in all three matches as Chennai finished with three straight wins.