“India Is Becoming A Difficult Country To Genuinely Play Cricket” – Ravichandran Ashwin Discusses Ruturaj Gaikwad's India Dilemma

The 36-year-old India National Cricket Team off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently discussed Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Indian team dilemma and said that “India is becoming a difficult country to genuinely play cricket” because there is a lot of competition.

The 25-year-old Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who opens the innings for his side, has been in outstanding form in domestic cricket for a while. He recently finished as the second-highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 as he scored 660 runs in 5 games at an average of 220 and a strike rate of 113.59.

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In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin lavished praise on Gaikwad and said it is a matter of time before Ruturaj Gaikwad “sets the world stage on fire”. However, Ashwin expressed concerns regarding Gaikwad’s place in the Indian team. He stated:

“Since he is from India, whom will he replace? Not even replace but look at whom he is competing with. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and we have Rishabh Pant opening as well.

“India is becoming a difficult country to genuinely play cricket. I mean, competition for one spot is heating up. And Ruturaj is not heating it up; he has taken the solar panel on his head and scored runs for fun. Amazing, very well done, Ruturaj Gaikwad. I am sure all the CSK fans are super happy. It will be a matter of time before Ruturaj Gaikwad sets the world stage on fire.”

In India, we will have fans fighting among our own country’s players – Ravichandran Ashwin

The veteran off-spinner further talked about the difference between the India National Cricket Team fans and the fans of other teams like the England National Cricket Team. He said:

“In England, they will openly say Joe Root is their greatest player. They will fight with fans who will argue for Williamson, Virat Kohli, and other country fans.

“Whereas only in India, we will have fans fighting among our own country’s players. I don’t know if we should do that. I feel it’s not right if we criticise our own country players.”

Also Read: Gaikwad Hits Terrific Ton In Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 Final To Become Player With Most Centuries In Tournament’s History