“It's great to be trusted by MS Dhoni on a leadership role,” says new-CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad

The cloud of dust and excitement over Chennai Super Kings’ new commander-in-chief Ruturaj Gaikwad, hasn’t settled down at all. Barely hours after Gaikwad was elevated to his new role, the Maharashtra batter confessed that it was a great feeling to be associated with.

Speaking to the Indian Premier League, Gaikwad said it feels great to be associated with CSK right from when his IPL journey started to leading the team now. “It feels great for two reasons, one to be part of this wonderful franchise right from when my IPL journey started and then two to be trusted by MS Dhoni for a leadership role. It speaks a lot. The challenge lies ahead and I'm looking forward to it,” the CSK skipper said in a video interview with IPL.

While the news of the captaincy change came as a bolt out of the blue for many in the cricketing fraternity, it wasn’t a surprise to Gaikwad and his team. "Last year, Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy, that be ready and this shouldn't be come as a surprise for you - when I came to the camp, he made me involved in some of the match simulation - back of the mind it was there, a week ago, he told that I have decided this,” Gaikwad explained.

The 27-year-old said playing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is one of the most exciting matches that he looks forward to and the icing on the cake for this season of the IPL is that it is the first game. “A lot to look forward to. It [opening game] is one of the most exciting first-day games to look forward to,” he quipped.

Gaikwad said he wouldn’t want to change any process that the team has in place and is going through, as it has been a tried, tested, and a winning formula. The opening batter also added that having Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, and others will make his job easier as a skipper, as the veterans know their roles and can execute the team’s plans without a hiccup.

"I've got to know how the franchise works throughout the year, got to know their mantra, the reasons behind their success, what kind of things the franchise goes through, what Mahi bhai or the support staff do. I wouldn't like to change a single bit of it. Dhoni is a great backbone to have on the field. I also have Ajju bhai (Ajinkya Rahane) and Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) as well, a lot of options to look around. I don't think I'll need to change anything. Just give the kind of freedom the players want and everything will be fine,” he concluded.