“I think it was harsh on us" - Ruturaj Gaikwad on Maharashtra's exit from Vijay Hazare Trophy

Ruturaj Gaikwad had a blazing run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy but his side Maharashtra were ultimately unlucky to bow out of the 50-overs tournament.

Maharashtra won four out of five group league matches but finished third in the Elite Group D points table by virtue of a poor run rate. Ruturaj cited it as 'harsh' from his side's perspective to not qualify for the knockouts.

Speaking to TOI, Gaikwad said:

“I think it (not qualifying) was harsh on us. We won four out of five games. In some other groups, teams who have lost two games out of five (Himachal, Vidarbha, TN, Karnataka) have also made it to the next stage.”

Gaikwad, who led the team from the front, admitted they took the net run rate into consideration but their opponents played some good cricket to take the game deep.

"These things happen in cricket. The Kerala seventh wicket pair batted too well. We have to give credit to the opposition too. We tried our best to break the partnership. We were aware about the possibility of net run rate coming into the equation. Hence we chose to field first against Uttarakhand. But sadly, it was difficult to score runs quickly on that pitch. The wicket changed its behaviour a bit in the second half too. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck too which proved elusive for us."

Kerala and Madhya Pradesh finished with the same points as that of Maharashtra (15) but qualified by virtue of good net run rate.

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"Trying to replicate the things again and again" - Ruturaj Gaikwad on superlative form

The 24-year-old batsman has been in hot form since the second phase of IPL 2021 when he guided Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fourth title. When asked about the secret of his consistency, Ruturaj said:

“No secret. I’m just focusing on my process and not thinking much, just trying to replicate the things again and again!”

Ruturaj continued his good run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he amassed 603 runs in five innings, including four centuries. The youngster is happy with the rich vein of form he has found and desires to continue in the same manner for the rest of the season:

“It feels amazing. But it would have been nice if we as a team, we would’ve gone through. Personally, it’s a good achievement and I’m proud of myself and my team," Ruturaj concluded.

Ruturaj's dream run with the bat has compelled the selectors to take notice. He will be one of the front-runners to be on the plane to South Africa when the selection panel meets to pick the ODI squad for the South Africa series.