2 weeks Ago
The BCCI announced an 18-member squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, sparking fan outrage over the exclusion of in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite his impressive domestic performance. Published: October 26, 2024 12:00 PM IST By Edited by On Friday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-Test series against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With the Indian team currently under pressure to defend their 18-series winning streak at home following the contest against New Zealand, they are set to protect the trophy starting November 22 in Perth.
Delhi speedster Harshit Rana and Andhra seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy received their maiden call-ups, while Kuldeep Yadav was omitted from the squad due to a recommendation for long-term rehabilitation for his groin injury. Despite declaring he was “pain-free” last week, Mohammed Shami was also left out of the series as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup. One of the notable exclusions that sparked fan outrage on social media was the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The Maharashtra batter, who was recently appointed as the captain for the India A tour of Australia, was initially reported to be a backup opener for the Border-Gavaskar series due to the possibility of Rohit Sharma missing one of the early Test matches for personal reasons. Despite showcasing consistency in the Duleep, Irani, and Ranji Trophy matches over the past two months, Ruturaj Gaikwad was overlooked as selectors opted for in-form Bengal player Abhimanyu Easwaran, who impressively scored four centuries in his last four first-class matches across these tournaments. Where is Ruturaj? This is just horrible from BCCI!! They are playing with his career — abhay singh (@abhaysingh_13) Can’t find Ruturaj Gaikwad anywhere in both squads.
— Inside out (@INSIDDE_OUT) — Mintu Dutta (@duttamintu26) Politics And Favouritism Won Once Again 💔 — Aufridi Chumtya (@ShuhidAufridi) In 2023, Ruturaj Gaikwad was named a traveling reserve for the World Test Championship final but was replaced by Yashasvi Jaiswal due to personal commitments. He was subsequently selected for the tour of the West Indies but did not make an appearance. Gaikwad later led India to a gold medal at the Asian Games that summer and was recalled for the tour of South Africa in December.
However, he was unable to participate as Easwaran took his place due to injury. In the ongoing domestic season, Ruturaj Gaikwad has showcased impressive form, amassing 472 runs at an average of 47.2, which includes one century and three half-centuries.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and . Read more on Latest on . Topics.
