Every IPL season brings newer positives for the nation. A flurry of talented players who are not much known like Ashutosh Sharma, Mayank Yadav and Shashank Singh became household names due to IPL. Few of the players like Riyan Parag who are already known get a chance to make their chance count and perform in the same league. And a lot of young names get a chance to lead their side and prove their caliber as a captain due to the cash rich league. The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and a few others have done is successfully. But amongst all these captains, one man stands tall as a leader. He is Ruturaj Gaikwad.

One of the finest batters of this generation and a future star of India, Ruturaj has already established himself as an opener. This IPL gave him the chance of leading and he grabbed it with both his hands showcasing his leadership skills. It was a herculean task for him to replace the golden captain of India, MS Dhoni for his franchise CSK. Dhoni was the face of CSK, and had a huge legacy with 5 titles to his name. And filling that huge void of Dhoni as a captain was a daunting task. Moreover knowing the fact that Dhoni is going to play in the team, but just as a player was an added pressure on Gaikwad. But overcoming all of the above, Ruturaj lived up to the expectations of fans and selectors by being a good captain, without affecting his batting one bit.

Scoring an excess of 500 plus runs as a batter, he led his team to 7 victories in the tournament. In spite of losing the toss 12 out of 14 times, he ensured that he is leading his side well. Leading CSK is a challenging thing as the team is known to have many old and experienced players. And when almost 80% of the team is highly experienced, a youngster appointed as a skipper adds extra burden on himself. But Gaikwad ensured that none of the same is affecting him as a player as well as a captain, as he did the job well. Good use of the bowlers, great field placements and clever presence of mind were his highlights of captaincy. Also, the guidance of the best mentor behind the stumps significantly helped him evolve as a leader.

One can only imagine the pressure he felt on the ground to lead a successful franchise like Chennai Super Kings at such a young age. He was further pressurized by many critics and blind fans as he was the captain when Dhoni was still playing. Often the critics and fans credited Dhoni for the team's victory, and blamed Ruturaj for the team's loss. The broadcasters also did the same, as they showed Ruturaj only when the team was in a bad shape, whereas they showed Dhoni when team was doing good. There was an occasion when he scored a magnificent 98 runs, and missed his century by just 2 runs, but he was not applauded and his wicket was celebrated as Dhoni was supposed to come next. One can only imagine the disappointment he felt at that moment.

But even with all of this happening, he continued to do what he does and he lived up to the faith his franchise showed in him. He never complained about any situations, never blamed any player and always respected the seniors. And while doing so, he ensured that his individual and team's progress is not stunted. Which is why he was also respected from every member in the squad, and the fans now love him even more that what they used to do when he played just as a batter. And with all the things he is successfully doing, it seems like the CSK franchise did the right thing by naming him the captain of their team. He now looks to be an evolved version of himself and going ahead he will take CSK to newer heights.

He looks to be a natural leader. Not many know that he already has proved his mettle as a leader earlier as well. He was the captain to lead Indian team which fetched gold in Asian Games 2023 which happened in China. He also led the Maharashtra domestic team beautifully. While leading Maharashtra, he has broken many records. He is the only player to have hit 7 sixes in an over, and the only second player after after Virat to score 4 consecutive centuries in Vijar Hazare Trophy. And he achieved both these records while leading the Maharashtra side. And continuing to do what he does for Maharashtra, he did the same for CSK by leading their side while not affecting his batting one bit.

Ruturaj, just like his mentor Dhoni, has a calm head over the shoulders. He is not self centred at all. He thinks for the team and at times is willing to sacrifice his individual milestones for his team, which is a much rare scenario in today's cricket. He is a clever reader of the game, and had once impressed Dhoni with his analysis about the gane against KKR. He knows how to respect his peers and seniors, due to which he earns respect from all of those. And most importantly, he takes accountability for all his actions and doesn't blame the situation or his team members if the result goes against his team. And all these things cumulatively make him a great leader. Knowing all these, there was hardly any doubt that he will excel as a captain, and proving everyone right he did the same. We congratulate Ruturaj for his first season as a captain, and wish to see him lead the side even further for a longer period.