In a video shared by the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI), the India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad explained that he is concentrating on his own game at present instead of thinking about replacing Virat Kohli at no. 3 for the side.
“The 2024 T20 World Cup was won by India on the 29th of June, afterwards Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja announced they would no longer play T20I cricket. As a potential candidate to take over from Kohli in India’s team, Ruturaj is just one among many names suggested by fans and ex-cricketers.”
As Rohit Sharma,Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T 20 format there are many players in line to replace Virat Kohli who has been a phenomenal asset for team India at number three. However Virat Kohli recently opened for team India in the T 20 World Cup. Players like Ruturaj, Shubhman Gill and Jaiswal are the top contenders to replace Virat Kohli.
Ruturaj, on his part, declined to entertain any similarities drawn between him and Virat Kohli while referring to a video. “This is a huge subject and I don’t think it’s the right moment to consider it. Comparing with Kohli or attempting to step in his shoes is quite challenging and really tough to me at large,” added Ruturaj.
Ruturaj, who replaced the crowd favourite captain of CSK(MS Dhoni) with five titles to his name, has been in a similar scenario before where he was named captain of the side ahead of the IPL 2024 season.
“Just as I had mentioned in the IPL, it is also hard to fill Mahi Bhai’s (MS Dhoni) shoes. So definitely, you just want to start your career that way you want to play. So that is the main thing now,” remarked Ruturaj.
“Focus on one game, focus on how you can contribute towards the team in whichever position you play and make sure you are on the winning side more often than not,” Ruturaj added.
After getting dismissed cheaply in the first match of the T 20 series, Ruturaj Gaikwad rose to occasion in the second match of the series scoring 77 of just 46 deliveries. Team India is set to play Zimbabwe for the third time in the series on July 10.
