Pressure is a good thing for resurgent Ruturaj

Life in India for a young batsman is particularly tough. And while one knock, or a splendid series, can put you in the spotlight, it's a lot easier to lose it with a lean run. Ruturaj Gaikwad had spent the last two months wondering if he had done just that. Consistent domestic performances earned him a spot in the India A squad and his knocks routinely justified the selection. But it all started going pear-shaped when South Africa A toured India.

In the three List A games, he had scores of 10, 1 and 1. In the first four-day game, all he could manage was 30. A poor Vijay Hazare Trophy followed where he scored just 145 runs from six games at an average of just above 24. Before that, though, it had been surreal few months for Gaikwad. He continuously made people sit up and take notice as he first humbled Sri Lanka A and then weaved his magic in the Caribbean against West Indies A. In the eight one-day games, he scored 677 runs at an average of 112.83 and a strike rate of over 116. The scores - 187* (136), 125* (94), 84 (59), 74 (73), 3 (10), 85 (102), 20 (17), 99 (89). While he outscored Shubman Gill against Sri Lanka A, he was the second-highest run-getter against West Indies A behind Gill.

On Thursday (October 31), Gaikwad finally managed to put his lean run behind him. A 122-ball 113 helped India B get their Deodhar Trophy off to a winning start against India A. "I realised I need to work on my conversion," Gaikwad tells Cricbuzz, staying candid about his deficiencies. "I know I've been getting out after getting a start. I don't want to get out on 35 or when I am on 70. Those 15 runs from 35 to 50 or those 30 runs from 70 to 100 make a huge difference in India. I've realised that. I need to get a hang of it and I want to be a part of the first-class setup with India A consistently."

For someone just 22, Gaikwad is well aware of the need to stay in contention and the massive dent missed opportunities can make. Even when things have gone his way, he's always keen to reflect on his mistakes and how things could have been different. Take his knock of unbeaten 187 against Sri Lanka A for instance. Ask him about that knock and he'll stress the missed double ton could have easily propelled him ahead of his peers but he failed to grab that opportunity. "I, till today, think about the shots I could have played and when I could have accelerated. I made a mental note of it and I think it'll help me in future," he says.

"If that was a 50-over game (the game was reduced to 42-overs-per-side), I would have got a double century. But I am sure, I'll get one in 50-over cricket. I am not saying I overthink it but I do think I missed out on a big opportunity there. I want to score runs and keep the spotlight on myself. I want that pressure to be there. I look at it as a positive thing. I want to score big runs so that people talk about my batting. I've looked at the likes of Shreyas Iyer and I feel I have the shots to do well in the limited-overs game. I have the shots and it's just a matter of confidence."

The resurgence, a lot of it according to Gaikwad, has come because of the time spent in the Chennai Super Kings camp during the IPL where he warmed the bench for two months. "I spoke to Fleming and Hussey about how to prepare for the game and what approach to adopt. That's what I worked on in those two months. That's what paid off I feel," he reveals. "It took me 3-4 days for the feeling to sink in that I was part of that dressing room. I was very nervous because everyone was over 30. There were hardly four or five of us who were under 30. I took time to settle in but I got a lot of good inputs.

"Rahul sir's advice too has helped me. He, of course, saw me bat and said that I have got good hands and I work the ball well in the gaps. He looked at me bat and said I don't get stuck when I am batting. He asked me to maintain that. Add to that the learnings in the CSK camp and I really feel I reaped the benefits of it."

And while the conversation flows, Gaikwad subtly brings out the chat he had with Mahendra Singh Dhoni that helped his confidence. "I was included in the Ranji Trophy squad in 2016 but I got injured in my debut game. I broke my finger. Till the sixth game, I was out and in the last two games, I wasn't picked. I played just one T20 after that and then I wasn't picked," he starts. "I had met Dhoni bhai when I got injured and I had clicked a picture with him. When I went to the CSK camp, I showed him that picture. He looked really happy. He said that he's glad I've come up the ranks so quickly and it was heartening to hear that. You want to hear something like that as a youngster to boost your confidence."

Gaikwad has time and again showed he's got the ability to be a gun batsman. He outscored Kedar Jadhav by some distance in his debut Vijay Hazare season and has constantly matched Gill when it comes to strokeplay. He realises he needs to smash the door open for higher honours and understands it's not going to be easy. But for every Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman in Indian cricket, there's an Amol Muzumdar or Shantanu Sugwekar. It'll be a travesty if Gaikwad fails to do justice with his talent and falls behind. For now, he's got his mojo back and it's time to make it count.