“I don’t want a certain type of role,” Gaikwad said. “Like things to flow as they flow. Basically carry on the culture of CSK. That’s what I think. The success we’ve had, the things we’ve been doing, I don’t want to change a single thing. I want to come in there, take my own decisions and give as much freedom as possible because nothing has changed since I joined CSK. And I’m having fun.
Gaikwad was bought by CSK for IPL 2019. He didn’t play any games that season and got off to a slow start in 2020 but the team stuck with him and they’ve both reaped the rewards since. He holds the Orange Cap and his performances have helped him win two titles. He now wants to pass on the support he has experienced over the years to others.
How did Gaikwad become CSK captain?
Midway through a training session with Dhoni, Gaikwad was informed of the added responsibility this season.
“To be honest, not really deep conversations, I feel like … it was pretty cool. I’ll just say one conversation. We were rehearsing and he came up and told me all this stuff. Obviously to everybody, to everyone else on the outside, they think they’re big shoes to fill but I Always feel like I’m me and I want to continue the culture that’s going on.
“I remember he told me in 2022, maybe not next year, but after that you might get a chance to lead, so be ready for it. So obviously after that I was always ready for it. It’s not new to me. Or a surprise or a shock, I know how to control the game. , what change to make, I did last year too Fleming and I discussed the captaincy after every match, how I felt, bowling changes I felt we needed to make, this or that helped us.
Has captaincy affected Gaikwad’s batting?
Gaikwad scored 155 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 117.42. He had to work with a new opening partner this year, IPL rookie Rachin Ravindra. Have any of these changes forced him to bat differently?
“There are some things that people outside really don’t know about,” Gaikwad said. “Last year, (the) three, four matches we started, which were Ahmedabad, Chennai and Mumbai and again in Chennai. All those matches were on flat wickets. So I think the pitch is really important.
“Sometimes there are phases where you get good balls. Sometimes there are phases where you’re a little bit unlucky. Sometimes there are phases where things don’t really fall into place, (a) good shot, goes into the fielder’s hands. So you don’t ‘I’ve got to think about it, I’m always in good shape, good headspace,'” So I wasn’t really worried.
“And captaincy is a completely different approach while batting. I think when I played my first match or even the first half-century I scored for CSK (it was) a similar situation, we were chasing 140 and I always wanted to be there till the end and nothing really changed whether I was captain or not. Make sure.
Dhoni flashbacks by Gaikwad
The noise that greeted Dhoni’s arrival for the first innings at Chepauk in this IPL was amazing. It was so loud that Andre Russell, who was fielding on the boundary, had to cover his ears.
Alagappan Muthu is Deputy Editor at ESPNcricinfo