Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has questioned the selectors for not including Ruturaj Gaikwad in India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. Gaikwad scored a brilliant knock of 105 runs off just 83 balls in the second ODI against South Africa.
Srikkanth said Gaikwad should have been preferred ahead of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. The former Indian captain sarcastically said Gaikwad should tell the selectors that he would also keep wickets and that’s how he can get a place in the team.
Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “Maybe Ruturaj Gaikwad can say I’ve played with Dhoni so I can also keep. That’s the only way he might get selected in the team. Shreyas Iyer is a certainty, so he should have been included. But Ruturaj Gaikwad should have been in the 15. Instead of having Nitish Kumar Reddy, keep him in the 15.”
“It’s saying even if you score a century, there is no chance. Now Gaikwad has to start from scratch and score a mountain of runs because they’ll forget this century against South Africa. They’ve dropped him also so he has to score big again in domestic cricket.”
Gaikwad has been in rich form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 257 runs in five matches at an average of over 64 and a blistering strike rate of 120.65.
Srikkanth said the selectors are not keeping Ruturaj Gaikwad in the scheme of things, which is not fair.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal also won’t play in the 11 but at least he’s in the reserves. So by being in the 15, he will at least be in the scheme of things. But with this selection, they’ve removed Ruturaj Gaikwad from the overall scheme of things and from the system itself. And when you’re removed from the system itself, everyone, including the public and the selectors, will forget about him,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
“It’s very unfair. The whole idea of performance in an international match goes to waste. An effortless century like that is going to waste. Memory is short for everybody, so they’ll forget it soon.”
Gaikwad would look to carry his good form and keep knocking on the selectors’ doors.
