Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina's sudden decision to leave the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has left the cricket world in a spin. (More Cricket News)
Raina often hailed as the Mr. IPL, is a legend T20 legend and has been one of the greatest performers in the tournament. But the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK are not pushing the panic button. And the reason is the presence of a youngster named Ruturaj Gaikwad.
While sharing what really happened in the team hotel which led to Raina's departure, CSK's de facto boss N Srinivasan said that the development is a blessing in disguise Gaikwad, who's one of the players tested positive for coronavirus.
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"He is an outstanding batsman and will get a chance now. Ruturaj can become the star of the show, who knows?" the former BCCI chief said.
But, the youngster first needs to recover from COVID-19 and make himself fit enough to fight for a spot in a very strong squad.
So, how good is Ruturaj?
According to reports, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman had impressed skipper Dhoni during the team's five-day camp in Chennai. The camp itself became the focus of unwanted attention in the wake of the bubble breach, but it provided the team think tank to an opportunity to try out new options.
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ALSO READ: Suresh Raina In His Own Words
Raina, 33, established his legacy as the CSK's backbone, scoring heaps of runs in the middle order, especially the first down. Besides him, the team has a lot of experienced batsmen who can own the number 3 and 4 positions.
In contrast, despite his 28 listed T20 matches, Ruturaj is still a novice. But Srinivasan said that the Maharashtra cricketer can be one of the finds this season.
Ruturaj was picked by CSK at his base price of INR 20 lakhs in the 2019 IPL player auction.
He was the breakout star in the 2014-15 Cooch Behar Trophy, scoring 826 runs in 6 games with three centuries, and a half-century. Ruturaj then became Maharashtra regular, scoring heavily in the domestic circuit. His Ranji debut in 2016-17, however, was a tragedy. He was hit by a Varun Aaron, which needed surgery and a lengthy layoff.
But since his return, Ruturaj has made heads turn with consistent performance. He impressed against England Lions, by scoring a ton for the Board President’s XI. Then, scored 470 runs in four innings for India A in the series unofficial ODIs against the same opponents.
So far, he has played 21 First-class matches, scoring 1349 runs with the help of four centuries and six fifties. In 54 List A matches, he has scored 2499 runs with six tons and 16 50s.
Ruturaj, who also bowls off-spin, primarily bats as an opener.
CSK Squad (Updated): Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Vijay, Francois Du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Narayan Jagadeesan, Monu Kumar, RutuRaj Gaikwad, R. Sai Kishore.
