Ruturaj Gaikwad opened up on MS Dhoni's advice during his debut

Chennai, Sept. 27: Chennai Super Kings batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is currently playing for India A in their unofficial series against New Zealand A, interacted with students at the Super Kings Academy in Thoraipakkam, Chennai.

While passing on valuable advice to the students during the interaction, the 25-year-old opened up about meeting legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli during his early days.

Speaking to the students, the CSK opener said, "There were times when I was sitting in your place and there were players and ex-players coming, and I was looking forward to seeing them live - Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Dilip Vengsarkar... it feels special to be here, and I hope everyone will be dreaming to play higher level cricket as well.

"You guys have got a special place to practice. Growing up I did not have enough facilities like what you are having. So, I think everyone has got a really great facility and it is obviously in great hands of CSK."

Gaikwad went on to add, "Enjoy your time here, enjoy your experience. Try and learn every day. Enjoy your company. This is what creates a great place for you in the coming 15-20 years. Cricket-wise, there will always be ups and downs, there will be failures, there will be good times, but it is important to stay neutral, and learn to enjoy the process.

"Don't stay away from your studies. It is always good to have a backup. I would encourage everyone to keep up studies. A message to all the parents - I think it is important for your kid sitting here, trying to play for the country, trying to represent IPL franchises, that they have your support. As an individual I am thankful for the support from my mom and dad."

Meanwhile talking about adjusting to the different formats of the game, Gaikwad said, "As you grow, it is really important to change your mindset towards every format. Each format requires a different kind of mindset. T20 format requires being expressive, one-day requires some kind of risk and some kind of patience, red ball requires a lot of patience and hard work to go through a lot of challenging moments. You really need to keep up with your mindset."

Gaikwad credited MS Dhoni and the Super Kings for guiding him and helping him overcome setbacks. "I really need to be thankful and grateful that I was in a really good team which has a very good environment. Also, having MS Dhoni around me helped a lot as well. In that process, I never felt that I was having a setback. If I look back now, yes, I had failures to start off with, but the management, the team and the coach made me feel (good). I would give a lot of credit to the whole CSK team, the captain and coach.

"It is really important to stay positive and believe in yourself, because you would have done a lot of hard work throughout and you will have failures in cricket. It will not happen that every day you will score runs. You will have failures. I think you really need to stay positive."

Opening up about his early days and Dhoni's advice, Gaikwad said, "When I made my debut, he was very clear. He said enjoy the game and representing this franchise is a huge achievement. A lot of great players have been a part of this dressing room, and a lot of greats have been involved with this franchise. So, I think he just said that you just need to be in that moment and enjoy."

Before signing off, the opener added that his favourite shot was the cover drive. "Cover drive, because Sachin Tendulkar used to play the cover drive a lot and I always wanted to replicate that. Since then, I've loved playing the cover drive."

Super Kings Academy is a coaching centre for boys and girls with centres in Chennai and Salem.