Aakash Chopra reckons Ruturaj Gaikwad has fallen behind after poor outings in IND vs SA series – Huge traffic jam at the top
India Today
Ruturaj Gaikwad didn't have the best of outings in the five-match T20I series against South Africa as he scored 96 runs at an average of 19.20.
Former batter Aakash Chopra said that Ruturaj Gaikwad hadn’t done himself much good in India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa. Gaikwad scored a 35-ball 57 in the third T20I in Vizag, but looked out of sorts in the rest of the matches. In five games, the right-hander scored 96 runs at an average of 19.20 and a strike rate of 131.50.
Chopra reckoned with a number of players competing for the openers’ slots in the Indian T20I team, Gaikwad hasn’t helped himself by any means. The veteran was of the opinion that the Young Turk needed to up his game to stay on the radar of the selectors.
"I have kept Ruturaj Gaikwad's name above everyone else because there is a huge traffic jam at the top, you can call it Chandni Chowk or Crawford Market jam. There is a crowd there, there is no place for openers," Chopra was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.
"If we see from this viewpoint, Ruturaj Gaikwad has gone way back. He played five matches, a lot of people played four only, because the last match was rained off, but Ruturaj had gotten out in that match, so it is five innings for him," he stated.
"In five innings, if you have scored a total of 96 runs, unfortunately, it's not gonna cut it. I love Ruturaj Gaikwad, he is technically very compact, has a very good playing style, but 96 runs in five innings, which includes a good knock of 57. That means the rest of the series was absolutely cold," Chopra added.
After making his T20 debut for India last year on the tour of Sri Lanka, Gaikwad has strained to perform. Barring the knock in Vizag, Gaikwad has scored 78 runs from seven matches at an average of 11.14.
Gaikwad won the Orange Cap in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) while playing for the Chennai Super Kings, after which the four-time champions retained him for the 2022 edition of the cash-rich tournament.
Following a long injury lay-off, Mayank Yadav returns fitter and wiser, determined to combine raw pace with control as he eyes redemption in IPL 2026.
Shubman Gill heads into IPL 2026 with renewed motivation after his T20 World Cup snub. Cheteshwar Pujara has backed the Gujarat Titans captain to turn the setback into a standout season.
KKR unveil Cameron Green with a cinematic supervillain video ahead of IPL 2026 as the all-rounder joined their training camp. The all-rounder is set to replace Andre Russell this season.
L Sivaramakrishnan denies BCCI and Jay Shah's role in his commentary exit, saying his issue was with an individual after alleging bias. Sivaramakrishnan retired from BCCI commentary on March 20.
Gary Kirsten lifted the lid on PCB's interference, poor culture and power struggles under Mohsin Naqvi. He explained why his Pakistan stint collapsed and questioned how any coach could succeed in such a chaotic system.
India are all set to make a return to Belfast as the schedule for their upcoming T20I series against Ireland was confirmed by the BCCI on Saturday, March 21. India will be returning to the city after a gap of 19 years.
Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde became the youngest T20I centurion at 15, scoring 111 on debut against Ghana. Her knock powered Rwanda to a commanding 122-run victory in the Nigeria Invitational Women's T20I Tournament.
Delhi waited seven years for football to come home, and when it finally did, the response was not loud or overwhelming. But it was present, it was honest, and it quietly suggested something had begun again.
Fast bowler Vaibhav Arora aims to serve the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 the way Jasprit Bumrah serves the Indian team. The speedster has taken 33 wickets for KKR from 27 matches.
Sayali Satghare reflected on a dream few months that saw her go from unsold in the 2026 WPL auction to winning the title with RCB and making her India Test debut at the WACA in Perth.
IPL 2026: KKR are scrambling to figure out a Harshit Rana replacement while Matheesha Pathirana remains weeks away from fitness. Can they patch up their pace crisis before IPL 2026 gets underway?
The IPL season is upon us, yet the focus is completely on teams scrambling to replace injured players. With some of the stars managing their workload and delaying their arrival, the excitement has been watered down. Is the packed cricket schedule to blame for this?