India’s young batter Ruturaj Gaikwad said that he has learned a lot from the former India skipper MS Dhoni. He said he wants to gain his unique leadership approach ahead of leading the Indian side for their first-ever participation in the Asian Games. Since the women’s team won a gold medal, the Indian men’s team is also seen as the frontrunner for another gold medal in this event. Gaikwad and his blokes are ready to play the quarterfinals scheduled for Tuesday.
"I got to learn a lot of things from him (Dhoni) but every person has a different style. His style is different, his personality is different and my personality is a bit different," Gaikwad told the media.
"I will try to be myself and not really look at what he usually does. Obviously, yes you have to pick out some things that he does really well, how he handles situations and how he handles particular players during a match.
"Obviously, these are (a) few things I really took from him, but I would like to lead the way I want to. I just want the players to express themselves and give how much ever freedom that I can.
India coach VVS Laxman said it will be a unique experience playing cricket in China.
"It is a much different setup. We (would) have not even thought that we will come and play cricket in China. It is a great opportunity for the entire team,”.
Earlier, the players of the Indian cricket team were spotted cheering for the India men’s hockey team during their high-octane clash against Pakistan at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday. Players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, and other members of the Indian team marked their presence by watching the game.
India squad for Asian Games 2023: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh.