"He is very eager to learn" - When MS Dhoni lavished praise on a young Ruturaj Gaikwad during IPL 2021 

Back in 2021, MS Dhoni lavished praise on a 24-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad, calling him someone who was very eager to learn about the trade of the game. Dhoni said that he would have talks with him and ask him what he was thinking.

Ruturaj Gaikwad debuted in IPL 2020 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after he recovered from a COVID-19 infection. He had a rough start to the league, having scrappy shows of batting against Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. While Chennai Super Kings' had underperformed that season, they had discovered a future batting star in Gaikwad, who had scored three half-centuries in three games against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).

In the following season, Gaikwad would play a crucial role in CSK's title charge, winning the Orange Cap that season. Following Gaikwad's Player of the Match performance in Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capitals, MS Dhoni said (via ESPN Cricinfo):

"Whenever we have a chat, it's very plain and simple, I ask what is going on, what you were thinking because it is very important to understand how well he has improved over the period. And also his gameplan, as to, he's somebody who's willing to bat 20 overs.

"One of the games I spoke to him about, if you're an opener and if you get off to a good start, there's nothing that says you can only bat 10 overs or 12 overs. Why can't you bat 18, 19 or 20 overs? Right after that he did that. He batted 20 overs, which means that he is very eager to learn and I feel he is somebody who plays authentic shots and I think he has done really well for himself and I think he is a really good talent."

Gaikwad, opening the batting, had scored 70 runs off 50 deliveries, propelling CSK into the final for the ninth time. Gaikwad scored 635 runs in that season and was also awarded the Emerging Player of the Tournament.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad was one of CSK's top retentions ahead of IPL 2025

Continuing his association with the franchise for the fifth year in a row, Gaikwad was listed as the top retention for Chennai Super Kings, being retained at ₹18 crore. He was also named as the captain of the side last season, with CSK missing out of the knockouts for only the third time in history.

Chennai Super Kings, alongside Mumbai Indians, are the joint-most successful teams in the IPL, winning five titles each. Gaikwad will hope to become the second skipper after MS Dhoni to win an IPL title for the Chennai-based franchise.