“What Has He Done?”: Ex-India Star Questions Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Snub From Sri Lanka Tour

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour on July 18. Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite performing well in the recent five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe where he scored 133 runs in three innings at an average of 66.5, was notably omitted from all squads. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra criticized the selection committee for Gaikwad’s exclusion, questioning the rationale behind it.

“Ruturaj Gaikwad has been left out in both formats. What did Ruturaj Gaikwad do that his name hasn’t come? Six months ago, you were worthy of becoming the captain of a team, a team that had Shubman Gill who wasn’t playing, but Shubman has become the vice-captain now and Ruturaj is not even part of the team, neither in T20Is nor in ODIs. Is that right?” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“It’s the same thing, the coach was someone else and the selection committee might have been different. They might have done something but now they are looking for change. I really hope that it’s being communicated that he is being looked at for T20Is and will be considered for ODIs because, otherwise, Ruturaj Gaikwad, like Sanju Samson, will be very aggrieved. He might be feeling that he has been wronged,” he added.

Chopra also raised concerns over the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja from the squads. Both players were part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team. While Jadeja retired from T20Is after the World Cup, he remains available for other formats.

“Yuzi Chahal also comes to mind. You were just now part of the World Cup. After that, you are nowhere. Ravindra Jadeja is also not part of ODI cricket. What’s happening there? He has himself retired from T20Is but would have been available in ODIs. If he is available and is not being played despite that, have Team India started looking in some other direction?” Chopra said.

In summary, Chopra’s remarks underscored his confusion and concern over the exclusion of Gaikwad and the absence of Jadeja and Chahal from the selected squads for the Sri Lanka tour.