Gautam Gambhir slammed for mishandling Ruturaj Gaikwad’s comeback

A fresh debate has erupted in Indian cricket after Ruturaj Gaikwad’s disappointing return to the international arena. Playing his first ODI in 16 months, Ruturaj Gaikwad could manage only 8 runs off 14 balls in the ongoing three-match ODI series opener against South Africa in Ranchi.

Gaikwad’s innings ended when his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammate and South African batter Dewald Brevis pulled off a spectacular catch in Ranchi. However, the former cricketer and popular commentator Aakash Chopra blamed the Indian team management for Ruturaj Gaikwad’s flop comeback.

Aakash Chopra questions India’s tactics after Ruturaj Gaikwad's flop comeback

Chopra questioned the decision-making behind Gaikwad’s batting position. Instead of opening, which is the role he has mastered and built his reputation on, Gaikwad was surprisingly pushed down to number four, where he batted only twice in his career and failed to make any impact.

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The story was the same in Ranchi. Following the immense trolling and criticism, Chopra slammed the critics for judging Gaikwad on a failure that came while batting out of position.

Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel, “I really don’t understand what is going on. Ruturaj Gaikwad has never batted at No. 4 in ODIs. You sent him to that position, and he got out due to a stunning catch by Dewald Brevis. When he got dismissed, I urged, with folded hands, that they please give him three full chances. Even if he fails, don’t discard him immediately.”

Aakash Chopra urges fair opportunities for Ruturaj Gaikwad amid criticism

He stressed that the right-handed batter needs a fair run at the top of the order before anyone decides his future in ODIs. The cricket pandit believes that unless Gaikwad is consistently backed in his natural role, reviewing his performances makes no sense.

Chopra added, “Don’t judge him on these three performances. His main job is to open the batting. Until you can give him that position, you don’t have any right to pass a verdict on his ODI career.”

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It will be interesting to see whether Ruturaj Gaikwad will get opportunity in the remainder of the ODI series against South Africa. Notably, the second ODI will be played on Wednesday, December 3, in Raipur, followed by the third and final ODI on December 6 in Visakhapatnam.

Aakash Chopra questions India’s shocking call to bench Rishabh Pant again

Additionally, Chopra also raised questions about India’s decision to leave Rishabh Pant out of the playing XI for the first ODI against South Africa. Despite being one of India’s most dependable middle-order batters and performing best at No. 4 and No.5, Pant once again found himself on the bench in Ranchi. India instead slotted in Washington Sundar, and he also failed to deliver.

Chopra signed off by saying, “And now Rishabh Pant—when will you play him? He is a pure middle-order batter, performs best at 4 or 5, and yet you don’t pick him even when there is space in the middle order. Instead, you send two players who have never batted at those positions.”

Notably, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter last played an ODI in August 2024 during the Sri Lanka tour. Although Pant was part of India’s victorious ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad, he never got a game in that tournament because KL Rahul played as the wicketkeeper-batter throughout.