'We had no high expectations' - Ruturaj Gaikwad's parents speak about his 99 against Hyderabad

Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently one of the most talented youngsters in India. After winning the Orange Cap in the Indian T20 league 2021, he was expected to score a lot of runs in the ongoing 2022 edition as well. However, Ruturaj wasn't at his best as he only managed to score one half-century from his first eight games.

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Nevertheless, he came into his own during Chennai's game against Hyderabad as he scored a magnificent 99 from just 57 balls. He was unlucky to miss out on a hundred. Nevertheless, his knock ensured that the Chennai-based franchise won their third game of the season. Besides, he went on to win the player of the match award as well.

Despite missing out on a century, Gaikwad's parents were "proud" of him. His father Dashrath Gaikwad spoke about how they witnessed his special knock from the corporate box. He stated that there was no pressure on them. While speaking to The Indian Express, the opener's father said that they weren't too bothered about Ruturaj getting dismissed on 99.

“We were neither stunned nor disappointed when Ruturaj got out on 99. Cricket is a game of uncertainties. Anything can happen on the next ball. We know that very well. We had seen an earlier match at the stadium but this was the first match we were watching from the corporate box.

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There was no pressure on us whatsoever. We just wanted to see him playing live rather than on TV, which we always do. But we had no high expectations. It’s a game, after all. Anything can happen anytime,” said Dashrath Gaikwad while speaking to The Indian Express.

Further on, senior Gaikwad was glad that his son got back amongst the runs. He stated that the 25-year-old has looked confident in his last three games. Last but not the least, he added that Ruturaj making it to the Indian team is more important than him getting to the three-figure mark during the game on Sunday.

“The way he was playing right from the first ball, we were confident that he would score a century. That it didn’t happen only reflects the uncertainties of the game. But it is good that he was back in form. This ITL, his starts have not been but in the last three matches, he has regained his form.

I don’t know whether he should have gone for a big shot like he did while scoring his first century in the last ITL. It is for him to analyse what went wrong. He was playing sensibly to get that three-figure mark by taking singles and regaining his confidence which has been the hallmark of his ITL career so far. The century does not matter to us. Ruturaj making it to the Indian team does,” he added.