CSK's Gaikwad hopes Dhoni's advice in 2020 IPL helped

Mumbai, March 27 Chennai Super Kings' young batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad said on Saturday that team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's advice to him to stay calm and not take the pressure helped him regain form after a poor start to the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Gaikwad fell early in the first three outings of his debut IPL season, before scoring 65 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore, 72 against Kolkata Knight Riders, and 62 not out against Kings XI Punjab. He said Dhoni's words after the third game freed him up.

"Dhoni told me to enjoy my cricket and not think about the result just enjoy the atmosphere, be calm, and once I got my eye in he was confident that I'd be able to make an impact," the batsman was quoted as saying by the CSK website.

"I think it was a good reminder for me, because all I was looking for was the result and not thinking about the process. So, it helped me a lot coming from him," he said.

Gaikwad got to spend more time with Dhoni during this year's pre-season camp in Chennai.

"One of the important lessons I learnt from Dhoni is that there will be good and bad days in cricket, as in life. But what really matters is how honest you are to yourself, stay neutral in both situations and accept the fact that everyday won't be your day. But whenever it's your day it's important to try and make it count," he said.

Gaikwad, a 24-year-old Maharashtra opener, is coming off an ordinary outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament. Though he scored a century, 102, in the first match against Himachal Pradesh, he failed to go past even 30 once in the next four innings.

( With inputs from IANS )