Ruturaj Gaikwad took over the Chennai Super Kings captaincy from MS Dhoni ahead of IPL 2024.
Chennai: Hydration is one of the key elements to unleashing peak performances on the field, according to newly-appointed Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad in the ongoing Indian Premier League. The 27-year-old replaced Dhoni at the helm of CSK after the former decided to pass on the baton just one day before IPL 2024. Under Gaikwad, defending champions CSK registered three wins in five games so far in the competition.
Rated highly in the Indian cricket fraternity, Gaikwad earned CSK’s leadership role on the back of consistently strong performances. Like all athletes, Gaikwad has had to work on numerous aspects to perform at such a consistently high level including physical fitness, mental resilience, nutrition, and even hydration.
“I’m often asked what the key to success on the field is, and I can’t emphasize the role of hydration enough,” said Gaikwad. “Everyone talks about fitness and nutrition and so on, but maintaining the right level of hydration and the optimum electrolyte balance aids everything from reaction time and post-match recovery to on-field mental acuity.
“In high-stakes matches, like the ones we play in the IPL, as captain, I often have to make decisions on the fly. For that, I need my mind to stay sharp. Hydration, therefore, I would say, is absolutely essential to making those make-or-break calls that can either win or lose you a game,” he added.
Cricket is a grueling sport, especially when it comes to IPL. Coupled with the Indian subcontinent’s notoriously warm summers, the season in which the IPL is played, hydration becomes all the more important.