Suryakumar Yadav addresses Ruturaj Gaikwad's absence from India's T20I team
India's T20I cricket team captain Suryakumar Yadav spoke to the media ahead of the four-match T20I series against hosts South Africa. One of the hot topics of discussion was the exclusion of Chennai Super Kings's skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad from the team. Despite Gaikwad's phenomenal performances across all formats in domestic cricket over the last year, he remains overlooked for national selection.
Yadav's response to Gaikwad's national team exclusion
When asked about Gaikwad's exclusion from the national team, Yadav highlighted the wealth of young talent that deserved a chance. He said, "Rutu (Ruturaj) is a fantastic player. He has been performing consistently across all formats, wherever he plays." However, he also highlighted the need to respect and follow the team management's process for giving opportunities to these players.
Yadav assures Gaikwad's time will come
Yadav was confident about Gaikwad's future, saying, "He is young and is doing well. I feel, uska bhi number aayega. Uska bhi time aayega (His time will also come)." This indicates that although Gaikwad may not be in the national T20I team at the moment, his consistent performances could open doors in the future.
Gaikwad's impressive track record in cricket
Gaikwad has been in excellent form in cricket. He represented India in the T20I series against Zimbabwe earlier this year, scoring 133 runs at an average of 66.50 and a strike-rate of 158.33. He is also CSK's captain in IPL and led India C team in Duleep Trophy. He was also named skipper for Rest of India team for Irani Cup this year and leads India A team in Australia for an unofficial Test series.
