After replacing MS Dhoni as captain of Chennai Super Kings, it seems like Ruturaj Gaikwad is now gearing up to replace the legendary wicketkeeper behind the stumps as well.
The CSK captain was seen flaunting his wicket-keeping skills on Monday (June 17) as he plied his trade for Puneri Bappa against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings in the ongoing Maharashtra Premier League (MPL). Over the years, non-wicket holders have been seen putting on gloves in case of an emergency during the game.
However, Ruturaj Gaikwad was behind the stumps from the beginning. And it didn’t take much time for the Puneri Bappa captain to show his wicket-keeping talent. On the first ball of the innings, he made a diving stop after the bowler bowled a wide ball on the off side. The video of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s stop went viral in no time.
Check out Ruturaj Gaikwad in his new avatar:
Ruturaj Gaikwad for Puneri Bappa 🧤#MaharashtraPremierLeague#JioCinemaSports#MPLonJioCinema #MPLonSports1 8 pic.twitter.com/8WqsmSa5Sr
– JioCinema (@JioCinema) June 17, 2024
Ruturaj Gaikwad has led Puneri Bappa from the front during the current MPL season. He is the leading run scorer for his team in the competition. In seven games so far, he has scored 290 runs at an average of 48.33 and a strike rate of 168.60. The right-handed batsman has also reached two fifties.
Before playing in the MPL, he also had a good performance in the IPL. Just a day before the start of the season, MS Dhoni resigned as CSK captain and Ruturaj Gaikwad was named as his replacement. In his first season as CSK captain, the Maharashtra star could not lead the five-time winners to the playoffs but showed his ability to respond under pressure.
The added responsibility of captaincy did not affect his batting much as he finished the tournament as the second highest run-scorer. In 14 games, Gaikwad scored 583 runs with the help of one century and four fifties. His aim will be to make CSK the first team to win the six-team IPL when he leads the team next year.
