Ruturaj Gaikwad To Be Picked As Third Opener For Australia Test Series: Reports

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission from the 15-man squad of India’s Twenty20 international team against Bangladesh, announced by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was the main focus of the discussion.

Gaikwwad’s exclusion was shocking, considering his lethal form for India in T20s and with the Indian Premier League club Chennai Super Kings. This has led to a more critical study of the selection process by the audience and experts alike.

There has been a lot of debate regarding this exclusion, with a lot of people seeing the national team as incomplete without Gaikwad. The selection policies and the motivation behind the team’s structure of the BCCI are under the public microscope.

Even before the team was announced, the issue of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s exclusion from the squad became so controversial that it sparked discussions about the team’s composition and speculation on the Indian batting order as the team was set to face Bangladesh.

Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn’t picked for the T20Is against Bangladesh:

The fact that Gaikwad is not in the T20I team looks to be due to some tactics relating to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gaikwad’s inclusion is also being considered in India’s Test squad structure as the third opener, who is likely to provide cover for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma. This was recently shared by The Times of India.

With the Test series approaching, the selectors perhaps felt that it would be better for Gaikwad to focus on the longer format and hence include him in the prestigious Irani Trophy, which may enhance his Test figures.

“There has been a lot of hue and cry after Gaikwad wasn’t picked for the T20Is against Bangladesh despite regular T20I openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill being rested. The selectors and team management want him as the third opener in Australia. You need a third opener there as injuries could take place during a long five-test series,” the Times of India quoted a source as saying.

“There aren’t too many good candidates for the third openers’ slot than Gaikwad. He needs to keep playing red-ball matches. This is why he has been asked to lead ROI in the Irani Cup,” the report added.