File photo of Ruturaj Gaikwad
One of the finest young batters in India but Ruturaj Gaikwad continues to be devoid of consistent opportunities in the Indian team, in any of the three formats. Despite scoring runs on a regular basis in domestic cricket, be it in white-ball cricket or red-ball, Ruturaj hasn't been able to earn the selectors' trust. The opening batter was overlooked for the Bangladesh T20I series, with suggestions emerging that his absence is due to the selection committee's red-ball plans for him. But, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Gaikwad's name was nowhere to be found.
Seeing Gaikwad being snubbed yet again, Indian cricket great Krisnamachari Srikkanth lost his cool and went on an epic rant, targeting the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. Srikkanth said that he remains baffled by the treatment Ruturaj has bene getting despite being one of the top performers in the domestic spectrum in India.
"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.
The selection committee gave Abhimanyu Easwaran, another domestic stalwart who recently scored four centuries in consecutive matches, the nod for Australia tour. While Srikkanth isn't against Easwaran's selection, he has questioned the logic behind overlooking Ruturaj.
"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," he said.
The national Men's Selection Committee, instead, named Ruturaj the captain of the 15-member India A squad it picked for the upcoming tour of Australia. Whether a solid show in the India A side would earn Ruturaj a consideration for the senior side, would be interesting to see.