Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn’t picked in the Indian team for the 5-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, leaving Kris Srikkanth fuming.
Source: NDTV
Ruturaj Gaikwad, considered one of India’s most promising young batters, continues to be overlooked for consistent opportunities in the Indian team across formats. Despite his regular run-scoring in domestic cricket, both in white-ball and red-ball formats, Gaikwad has struggled to gain the selectors’ trust. Even though his name was suggested for future red-ball plans, the BCCI announced the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and Gaikwad’s name was notably absent.
The exclusion sparked a fiery reaction from Krisnamachari Srikkanth, a former India cricketer, who unleashed a rant against the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. Srikkanth expressed his frustration, questioning why a player like Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has proven himself in domestic cricket, continues to be sidelined.
“I don’t understand it at all. When they say that Mayank Yadav bowled for a few overs and now he has also become unfit like Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag. See, for Ruturaj, I don’t understand at all. Poor fellow! What will he do? If he scores a century, then they can take him back into the T20I squad, right? He scored two first-class centuries, but still didn’t get a chance. He got scores to back him up. Where should that guy be going now?” Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
While Abhimanyu Easwaran was selected for the Australia tour after scoring four consecutive centuries in recent matches, Srikkanth’s frustration focused on the inconsistent handling of Gaikwad. He emphasized that his criticism wasn’t against Easwaran’s selection but rather the neglect shown towards Gaikwad.
“Abhimanyu Easwaran’s performance has been brilliant. I’m not questioning that. But what are you doing with Ruturaj? Why aren’t they twirling around with him? What’s the plan? Let them do what they want with him. Just look at the mindset of that kid and tell me what he should be doing in this match against you guys. He keeps on hitting the opponents all day long, but then, when it comes to international cricket, you leave him behind. And when they give him a chance, it’s for the Rest of India or India A,” Srikkanth added.
Instead of including him in the senior squad, the national Men’s Selection Committee named Ruturaj Gaikwad as the captain of the 15-member India A squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. It remains to be seen if a strong performance with the India A team could finally open doors for Gaikwad in the senior side.
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