IND vs SA: Ruturaj Gaikwad Opens Up On Thriving In Pressure Situations, Says 'People Expect Because You're That Good'

IND vs SA: As anticipation grows for India's upcoming South Africa tour, all eyes are on emerging talent Ruturaj Gaikwad. In exclusive interviews with Star Sports, Gaikwad reflected on his journey into the national team, sharing insights into the challenges that shaped his career.

In the recently concluded series against Australia, Gaikwad emerged as India's leading run-scorer, notching up 223 runs in five matches at an impressive average of 55.75. Excited about the T20 series, Gaikwad sees this as a chance to secure his spot for the 2024 season. The young batter said he likes performing under pressure, in all situations.

“I can adapt to all three formats of the game. I'm used to that pressure right from my club days, be it under 14 or 16, I've always been the main batsman for my club, for the academy and my state where the 50s, 100s or even 200s wouldn't matter that much unless I stayed till the last,” Gaikwad told Star Sports.

ALSO READ: Rahul Dravid's Tenure As Head Coach To Be Decided By BCCI After South Africa Tour: Report

“In T20 you have to play aggressively. In One Day format, you've to grind your innings according to whatever situation is in front of you. In test format, you've to take your own time, and you've to respect the bowlers with what they are going with,” he added.

Gaikwad expressed confidence in handling expectations, acknowledging that people anticipate strong performances due to his skills. The batter said he feels positive about the upcoming South Africa series.

“People expect from you because you are that good. There's no pressure but I feel great people expect from me to keep performing,” the 26-year-old said.

ALSO READ: India vs South Africa 1st T20I LIVE Streaming: IND vs SA Probable Playing XIs, Durban Pitch And Weather Report, Head To Head Records, Stats

“I feel good. These (South African conditions) will be a different condition than what we were playing in the last 10-15 days. I got the idea (from the Ind vs Aus tournament) how it's going to be next month,” he added.

Gaikwad appreciated the value of net practice to adapt to South African conditions, adding the need for adjustments, especially in playing on the backfoot.

“It was good to get some practice in the nets. Since South African conditions are different, it was helpful to get some net practice. I do not have much idea about the South African wickets as far as batting goes since I've never played here,” the CSK star said.

“From what I have heard the wicket has good pace and bounce here in contrast to subcontinent pitches that are slower and have low bounce. The backfoot game will come into play here. That's the slight adjustment one has to make. In South Africa when the ball gets older, it's a great place to bat,” he added.

India will play their first T20I match of the South Africa tour in Durban on December 10.