Ruturaj Gaikwad: 'I was pretty much confident' of batting at No. 4

Ruturaj Gaikwad says he was "pretty much confident" of adapting to the No. 4 position despite having never batted there previously in 50-over cricket. Before the South Africa series, Gaikwad had batted 86 times in List A cricket but never below No. 3.

He started the series with 8 off 14 balls in Ranchi before scoring 105 off 83 balls in the second ODI in Raipur, which he said was "definitely" his best innings across formats and levels.

"[The team management] told me that I would be batting at No. 4 this series," Gaikwad said after the match. "I feel it's a privilege to have that kind of confidence from the management towards an opener. So I took it that way.

"In the one-day format, even when I was opening the innings, I always tried to make sure that whenever I was set, I was able to bat till the 45th over and capitalise after that. So I knew somewhat how to play between overs 11 to 40, how to rotate strike, what the boundary options were. So I was pretty much confident about how I could go through [the innings].

"It was just a matter of how I could play my first 10-15 balls and after that, the process remains the same. I have been working really hard, and obviously been in good touch as well. So I wanted to make sure that whenever I am set, I make it a big one."

Gaikwad was involved in a 195-run stand with Virat Kohli, who scored his second hundred in as many games. When asked about the partnership, Gaikwad said it was something "you dream of".

"I have been able to witness him since last one week now," he said. "Whatever practice sessions we have had, he is batting unbelievably well… the amount of time he has and how he is able to convert it in the match as well. And even this game, I enjoyed a lot. [But] mostly, I was trying to be in my zone and not really think about how he is batting or how he is able to score runs.

"The chat in between was very clear. We had set 5-5-, 10-10-run target and [discussed] how to manoeuvre the gaps or how to hit those boundaries, how we can rotate strike. So the chat was around that. I think we had really good running between the wickets as well. Obviously, you dream of these kinds of moments and to be able to have that kind of partnership, I really enjoyed a lot."

Before this series, Gaikwad last played an ODI for India in 2023. Since then, he has fallen behind the pecking order as opener, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill being India's first choice, followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal. He got a chance in this series only because Shreyas Iyer was injured. How does he see this competition?

"I think all these things are better if you don't think too much [about them]. Because [if you do so], you are not in the present, and whatever matches are in front of you, you don't have that much focus and preparation for them.

"In the last Vijay Hazare Trophy, I couldn't make that many runs [194 in seven innings]. Obviously, some things were going on in my mind. But after that, I thought whichever match it is, whether a club game, red-ball format, or white-ball format, I will make sure I try to stay consistent. I realised that my duty is to score runs as much as possible. And if I get an opportunity, well and good. Even if I don't, it's still fine."