Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has rallied behind Ruturaj Gaikwad after the Maharashtra batter was left out of India’s ODI squad for the upcoming New Zealand series, despite scoring a century against South Africa in the previous assignment.
Gaikwad’s omission emerged as the most debated decision when the BCCI selection committee announced the squad. The right-hander appeared to have strengthened his case with a hundred against the Proteas, but was still overlooked as the selectors chose to recall Shreyas Iyer, who missed the South Africa series due to injury and is yet to receive full fitness clearance. Yashasvi Jaiswal retained his spot as the third opener after a match-winning century, once again pushing Gaikwad out of the ODI mix.
Since making his ODI debut in 2022, Gaikwad has played just nine matches, scoring 228 runs at an average of 28.50, including one century and one half-century, reflecting his lack of consistent opportunities at the international level.
Reacting to the snub, Ashwin took to X to encourage his former Chennai Super Kings teammate, underlining the intense competition for places in the Indian team.
“No matter how you feel. Get up, dress up, pad up, show up and never give up. It can be hard to miss but such is the competition for places in the Indian team,” Ashwin wrote.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra also questioned the selection logic, pointing out that Gaikwad and Tilak Varma made way for returning senior players. Chopra raised concerns over the handling of Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy, arguing that India missed opportunities to give them meaningful game time while trying to balance experience with long-term planning.
Gaikwad’s exclusion has once again highlighted the depth of talent in Indian cricket and the difficult calls selectors face as they juggle immediate results with future readiness.