Mahi Bhai had hinted about captaincy change last year: Gaikwad

It was a shock move for the world but not for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was always kept in the loop about this imminent decision. The 27-year-old revealed that the talks of a captaincy switch came at some point in the last year, when MS Dhoni had hinted to him and asked him to be ready to fill the big shoes. 

“You know last year itself, Mahi (Dhoni) bhai had hinted about captaincy at some point in time. He just hinted, 'Be ready, it shouldn’t come as a surprise for you’. We came into the camp, he made me involved in some match practice simulations. He posted about his ‘new role’ on social media as well,” Gaikwad revealed in a video posted by IPL. 

Gaikwad also revealed that CSK-RCB is one of the most exciting first-day games to look forward to. After sharing the pitch together, with their stellar opening combination, Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis will share the stage during the toss on the opening day of the competition, as CSK and RCB’s skippers. 

“A week later, he came and said, ‘We have decided this and this’. Definitely, now that I’m here, I’m really looking forward to it. I just met Faf (du Plessis) in the meeting, who would have thought, ‘You playing for RCB, and we sharing a stage at the toss’. It is one of the most exciting first-day games to look forward to,” he added. 

While Gaikwad didn’t have the best of starts to his CSK career, he made his comeback in spectacular fashion and since then, never looked back. The right-hander has scored 1797 runs in his IPL career, averaging 39.07 while striking them at 135.52. Gaikwad opined that he is really looking forward to leading the five-time IPL champions. 

“It feels great, first to be part of such a wonderful franchise, right from the first day. Second, to be trusted by MS Dhoni for a leadership role. That speaks a lot, the challenge lies ahead and I’m looking forward to it,” he added. 

“Right from day one, I liked how the franchise has worked, I really got to know the mantra or what Mahi bhai does. I wouldn’t want to change a single bit. I still have him (Dhoni), Ajju (Ajinkya Rahane) and Jaddu bhai (Jadeja) as well. I don’t need to change anything, give them the freedom they want.”

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