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.
