"Just trying to replicate things again and again" - Gaikwad on his recent form

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in astonishing form of late. The stylish right-handed opener, who was the leading run-getter in IPL 2021, smoked four centuries in five encounters in the league stage of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

Leading Maharashtra, Gaikwad started the tournament with scores of 136, 154* and 124 before getting out cheaply against Uttarakhand (21). However, in the very next game against Chandigarh, the 24-year-old slammed 168 off 132 deliveries.

Talking about his recent form, Gaikwad told the Times of India: “No secret. I’m just focusing on my process and not thinking much, just trying to replicate the things again and again!”

Maharashtra won four of their five group games but still couldn’t qualify for the knockouts. In the Elite Group D, Kerala (+0.974) and Madhya Pradesh (+0.485) leapfrogged Maharashtra (+0.104) on the basis of superior NRR. 

Gaikwad, who amassed 603 runs at an average of 150.75 and a strike rate of 112.92, wasn't too pleased about his personal achievements.

"I think it (not qualifying) was harsh on us. We won four out of five games. In some other groups, teams who have lost two games out of five (Himachal, Vidarbha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka) have also made it to the next stage. 

"(On scoring four centuries in a season) it feels amazing. But it would have been nice if we as a team, we would’ve gone through. Personally, it’s a good achievement and I’m proud of myself and my team."

Maharashtra lost to Kerala despite reducing them to 120/6 in the 292-run chase. They defeated Uttarakhand in the next encounter but it took them 49.5 overs to chase down a target of 252. And, against Chandigarh, Maharashtra had to chase 310, which they did in 48.5 overs. However, that was still not enough.

"These things happen in cricket. The Kerala seventh wicket pair batted too well. We have to give credit to the opposition too. We tried our best to break the partnership,” said Gaikwad, who is likely to be picked for the ODI series in South Africa.

"We were aware about the possibility of net run rate coming into the equation. Hence we chose to field first against Uttarakhand. But sadly, it was difficult to score runs quickly on that pitch. The wicket changed its behaviour a bit in the second half too. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck too which proved elusive for us."

(Image credit: Maharashtra Cricket Association)