Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, addressed the media ahead of the first T20I against South Africa on Thursday. One of the key questions he faced was regarding the absence of Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad from the Indian T20I side.
Gaikwad has emerged as one of the finest batters in recent times, impressing with his performances in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. However, he continues to be overlooked for national selection.
Suryakumar acknowledged Gaikwad’s talent and consistent performances but emphasized the need to respect the team management’s process. He highlighted that there are many deserving players who have been performing well and that the management has a specific routine or process for giving them opportunities.
“Rutu (Ruturaj) is a fantastic player. He has been performing consistently across all formats, wherever he plays. There are a lot of players who have been performing well even before him, so there is a routine or process that I think that the management has come up with, so it is important to follow that,” Suryakumar said.
He added, “He is young and is doing well. I feel, uska bhi number aayega. Uska bhi time aayega. (His time will also come).”
Gaikwad has represented India in the T20I series against Zimbabwe this year, scoring 133 runs at an average of 66.50 and a strike-rate of 158.33. He is also the captain of CSK in the IPL and has led the India C team in the Duleep Trophy.
Despite his impressive domestic record, Gaikwad seems to be missing something from a national selection perspective. It remains to be seen when he will finally get his chance to represent India at the highest level.
