Ruturaj Gaikwad a victim of favoritism and bias? Colossal statement issued on India A snub

Is Ruturaj Gaikwad a victim of favoritism and bias? This debate has taken Indian cricket by storm since the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain was not picked in the India A squad for the upcoming series against Australia A.

The former India National Cricket Team opening batsman Aakash Chopra has now shared his views on the matter and bluntly stated that Ruturaj Gaikwad's snub can't be termed favoritism or bias.

No place for Ruturaj Gaikwad in Shreyas Iyer's India A squad

Australia A are all set to tour India for a multi-day and one-day series. The first red-ball match will commence on September 16, and the second game will start on September 23, with both matches taking place in Lucknow.

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After that, the teams will lock horns in three one-day games, on September 30, October 03, and October 05, respectively, in Kanpur.

Shreyas Iyer has been named as the India A captain for the multi-day series. Also, the squad consists of star batters like Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ayush Badoni, with KL Rahul being available for the second game.

There was no place for the 28-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad in the squad despite the batter averaging 41.77 in first-class cricket and recently playing a stunning knock of 184 runs against Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy.

It's not favoritism or bias - Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad's snub

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra stated that Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ignored from the India A squad because other players have delivered better performances than him. He elaborated:

"Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 184 recently in the Duleep Trophy. However, he didn't score runs in the India A shadow tour during the BGT time, where he was the captain. He was part of the India A squad for the England tour, but didn't play. So he has been there and thereabouts.

"The thing that is going against Ruturaj is that what he has done is fine, but the others are coming after performing strongly. People are coming after setting domestic cricket on fire. You might say that if Shreyas Iyer is being kept, Ruturaj can also be kept. It's an eye test. It's about what you are seeing, and not necessarily about what the numbers are telling. It's not favoritism or bias."

"He had an average of 38 in the 2024 Duleep Trophy. He didn't score a lot of runs in the Irani Trophy. He didn't score too many runs against Australia A, and he has played only four matches in the last two Ranji seasons."

He was elevated at one point, got a chance to play for the country - Aakash Chopra on Rajat Patidar

Aakash Chopra further said that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar finds himself in the same position as Ruturaj Gaikwad. He opined that the selection committee has moved past Patidar after his failures with the bat in limited opportunities in Test cricket. Chopra said:

"In the same breath, Rajat Patidar, who also scored runs in the Duleep Trophy. He was elevated at one point, got a chance to play for the country. He was given opportunities in the series against England. There was hope that he would score runs as the conditions and pitches were good, but he didn't score there.

"For the short term, that ship has also sailed, the bus has left the bus stop for both of them. It seems like the Indian selectors have started going in a slightly different direction."

Also Read: Karun Nair to get a chance in West Indies Tests? Big statement dropped after India A snub