India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has predicted Ruturaj Gaikwad’s future. Surya feels that Gaikwad will be back in the national team soon. He praised Gaikwad for performing well in different formats.
Gaikwad is not part of the Indian team for the T20I series against South Africa but Suryakumar said that Gaikwad is part of the team’s selection plan and hinted that Gaikwad could get an opportunity soon.
In a pre-match press conference before the T20I series against South Africa, Suryakumar praised Gaikwad’s strong form in both domestic and international cricket. He feels Gaikwad’s steady performances will soon secure him a place back in the Indian team.
Suryakumar said, “Ruturaj is a fantastic player. He has been fantastic and consistent across all formats 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. He has been performing consistently well, so I believe his time will come soon (Ruturaj ka time aaega).”
Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in great form this domestic season. He has scored 472 runs with an average of 47.2, including a century and three fifties. He was also consistent in the Zimbabwe series, scoring an unbeaten 77 in the second match and 49 in the first. However, despite his good form, the Indian selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, and the BCCI chose not to include Gaikwad in the T20I and Test squads for the Australia series.
India’s T20I squad for series against South Africa
Suryakumar Yadav(C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
South Africa T20I squad for series against India
Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (3rd and 4th T20Is), and Tristan Stubbs.
IND vs SA T20I series’ full schedule
SA v IND, 1st T20I: November 8, 2024, 5:00PM, Durban
SA v IND, 2nd T20I: November 10, 2024, 4:00PM, Gqeberha
SA v IND, 3rd T20I: November 13, 2024, 5:00PM, Centurion
SA v IND, 4th T20I: November 15, 2024, 5:00PM, Johannesburg
