“He was chosen on the basis of his T20 performances” - Saba Karim perplexed with Ruturaj Gaikwad’s absence from India’s T20 squad

Former India selector Saba Karim is surprised with Ruturaj Gaikwad’s absence from the T20 squad for the home series against West Indies. He pointed out that the young opener was initially chosen for international cricket on the basis of his T20 exploits.

Gaikwad, 24, who made his international debut during the T20I series in Sri Lanka last year, has only been picked in the one-day squad for the series against West Indies. The Maharashtra youngster was part of the ODI squad in South Africa as well, but did not get a chance to make his debut.

Discussing the in-form batter's selection in the ODI team and not the T20 squad, Karim said on the Khelneeti podcast:

“Ruturaj is not part of the T20 team but has been included in ODIs. He was chosen for international cricket on the basis of his T20 performances. So a couple of changes are really absurd. Hopefully, we get a settled combination soon because there is not much time left (for the World Cup).”

The Indian selectors have handed a maiden call-up to leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who features in both squads for the West Indies series. Deepak Hooda and Kuldeep Yadav have been included in the ODI team while Venkatesh Iyer is part of the T20 side.

“He was told to either open or bat at 7” - Rajkumar Sharma recalls Kohli debut amid Gaikwad debate

With no vacancy in the top order, there have been calls to fit the opener in the middle order. Asked about the same, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma replied that it all depends on the individual.

Sharing an interesting anecdote about Kohli, Sharma revealed:

“I remember when Virat debuted in Sri Lanka (in a T20I), Virender Sehwag got unfit. He (Virat) was told to either open or bat at 7. He said he will open though he had never opened even for our academy, leave alone in the Ranji Trophy. It all depends on the mindset of the player.”

Giving his personal opinion though, Sharma stated that Gaikwad should not be shifted to the middle order. He explained:

“There is no place at the top since four players, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, are already fighting for three slots. Ruturaj will have to wait, unless one of these players fail. I don’t think that an opener should be moved to the middle-order. In the end, it all depends on the player, whether he is ready to adapt and accept the challenge.”

Gaikwad was the leading run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, amassing 603 runs, including four hundreds, in five matches for Maharashtra at a stupendous average of 150.75.