Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth criticized the team management for leaving out in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad from India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. He humorously suggested that the Maharashtra batter might need to showcase his wicketkeeping skills to secure a place in the playing XI.
Gaikwad had impressed with a stunning 105 off 83 balls in his last ODI against South Africa in December 2025. However, with Shreyas Iyer making a return, the right-hander was omitted from the 15-member squad. Commenting on Gaikwad’s exclusion, Srikkanth shared his views 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.”
He further added:
“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.”
“Ruturaj Gaikwad Dropped From Plans”– Kris Srikkanth
Kris Srikkanth feels Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission from the New Zealand series could have lasting consequences. The former opener opined that, like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gaikwad deserved a place in the 15-member squad, even if not in the playing XI, to remain part of the broader plans.
“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).
He further concluded:
“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.”
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