When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 16-member squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, their decision to leave out the opening batter, Ruturaj Gaikwad, wasn’t received in a good manner by the fans, as many believed that the opening batter should at least be included in the squad.
The Maharashtra-born received the call-up into the Indian side during their Caribbean trip last year before getting added into the squad for the South Africa trip, where the finger injury ruled him out of the two red-ball games. However, the team management decided to go with Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The left-handed opener has nearly cemented his place in the longest format of the game, with an excellent home Test series of five games against England. The only loophole in the side at the moment is the number three batter, Shubman Gill, who has been carrying an average of around 35 in the format.
Ambati Rayudu ditches Shubman Gill to pick Ruturaj Gaikwad as top-class player
The former Indian middle-order batter, Ambati Rayudu, has been preparing for the upcoming season of the Legends League Cricket (LLC), and he was present in Delhi for an event before joining the Konark Suryas Odisha in the upcoming season of the tournament.
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The former batter of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is only 27 at the moment, will have so much time ahead of him to get back into the national side.
“I feel he has a lot of time ahead of him and you know, there’s no hurry. I would say he has all the qualities to be a top-class, world-class cricketer, and going forward, he has enough years in him, and I’m sure he’ll make it big.” The Andhra Pradesh-born predicted in an interview with Hindustan Times.
The CSK captain has already been part of 20 games in the shortest format of the game and collected 633 runs at a strike rate of over 140 with an average of nearly 40, thanks to his four half-centuries and one century.
When it comes to the red-ball format, Ruturaj Gaikwad has smashed 2212 runs in 31 first-class games for Maharashtra at an average of 43.37, having notched up 12 fifties and six centuries. As the leader of the India C side, he has already gained two wins in the ongoing season of the Duleep Trophy 2024. With the bat, he has grilled 171 runs in four innings of the event.
Rayudu also reckoned that India would be favorites going into the upcoming Border Gavaskar series 2024/25 in Australia during the five red-ball games. The veteran is quite excited to be back playing comparative cricket after taking retirement from the IPL after winning the 2023 season.
“I am very, very excited because, you know, after retirement, having a chance to play competitive cricket and also playing with, you know, mates and colleagues that you have played all your life with, and it’s going to be a great tournament,” Rayudu remarked as he would join Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik for the event. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about it being a very professional league, so I’m looking forward to it.”
India has selected the squad for only the first Test in Chennai, and with them playing four more in the home season and then another five in Australia, Ruturaj Gaikwad could be a valuable option as the backup opener in the next five months.