India have a new sporting couple, like Saina Nehwal and P Kashyap and Mitchell Starc and Alyssa Healy. Meet Ruturaj Gaikwad, who bats for India and Chennai Super Kings, and his wife Utkarsha, who bowls for Maharashtra.
The two got married on June 3 and are now back to focussing on their cricketing goals.
Wives of Indian cricketers rarely give interviews, but Utkarsha recently opened up on various subjects to ‘Coffee, Cricket Aani Barach Kaahi’, a Marathi cricket podcast.
“I will continue to play cricket for as long as I wish and as long as my body allows me. One can be 200 per cent sure about it, not just 100 per cent,” Utkarsha said from the West Indies, where she is accompanying her husband.
With 28 wickets in 39 List A games and 26 scalps in 45 T20 games since her senior inter-state debut for Maharashtra in 2015-16, Utkarsha is an established player in her own right.
“I am repeatedly asked about my career now that I am married. Not from the family but only the outsiders seem to be worried about it. My family is supportive. Ruturaj and his family are extremely supportive, our relatives are also supportive… but the question does come up from outsiders,” Utkarsha said.
Utkarsha fell in love with the game at age six, watching her father Amar, who was a local cricketer. She liked bowling and was a fan of Zaheer Khan’s.
“I wanted to run in fast just like Zaheer and bowl as fast as I could,” Utkarsha said.
“Seeing my desire to bowl fast, my father took me to Anwar Shaikh, who honed my bowling skills. I also went to the nets where Santosh Jedhe, former Maharashtra captain, used to coach players.”
As a child, Utkarsha played several other games and also took kathak lessons. Her guru advised her to stay away from the sporting fields or risk losing her 'tenderness'. Utkarsha quit kathak instead.
Meeting CSK icon MS Dhoni has been a highlight of her career.
“Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s aura is something different. When you are meeting him, you end up calling him sir… But he is so humble and down to earth, it’s unbelievable,” Utkarsha said.
“I got an opportunity to meet him properly after the IPL final. He has a great sense of humour and tries to keep the atmosphere light around him. We were on the road for two months or so but he always made us feel at home,” Utkarsha concluded.
