Ruturaj Gaikwad's admiration for MS Dhoni has been evident for a long time, as seen by his recent Instagram story
The strong bond between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dhoni is not hidden from anyone. Gaikwad was chosen by Dhoni to lead IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings after he finally decided to pass on the baton before the 2024 season of the IPL. In fact, Dhoni was instrumental in backing Gaikwad when the talented right-hander did not get off to a good start in the first few matches that he played for CSK in his debut season in the IPL 2020. It was, therefore, not a surprise when Gaikwad found a Dhoni connection for his T20I cap.
A few hours after India beat Zimbabwe in the third T20I by 23 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, Gaikwad posted a photo of his T20I cap with the caption, “I am ahead of the trend." He placed the cap to highlight the No. 88 on his cap, indicating that he was the 88th Indian player in T20Is. Unlike a jersey number, a cricketer cannot choose his cap number. It is chronological.
To tease the fans, Gaikwad also wrote a mathematical equation to find the Dhoni connection, which is popularly known as “Thala for a reason” among fans. “8=8=16. 1+6=Yellove.”.
When Ruturaj made his India debut in this format, the 88-numbered T20I captain was awarded to him. The opener indicated that he was part of the “Thala for reason” trend even before it arrived.