Ruturaj Gaikwad Must Be Picked For India Straight Away - Dilip Vengsarkar
Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar believes Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad, must be given an opportunity to play for India as soon as possible. Gaikwad had a stellar breakout season with CSK in IPL 2021, scoring 635 runs in 16 matches to win the orange cap.
On the back of his association with Faf du Plessis at the top, CSK managed to lift their fourth IPL trophy quite comfortably. However, Gaikwad is steadily making progress and stealing the spotlight among the next set of youngsters coming up in Indian cricket.
“He [Ruturaj Gaikwad] has the game, and he is mentally strong. The selectors must give him an opportunity. When you pick a guy who is in form, it helps. He is also young. If the selectors are convinced about his talent and temperament, then he should be picked straight away,” Vengsarkar told Khaleej Times.
Vengsarkar had advised Ruturaj Gaikwad to play the full 20 overs in T20 matches
Dilip Vengsarkar further revealed that he had texted the 24-year-old youngster to focus on playing the entire innings of the T20 match. This would give him a great chance to put up runs on the board for the team, as witnessed during his 60-ball 101* against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the UAE leg.
“He was scoring the half centuries, so I sent a message to him and asked him to play 20 overs. I said, ‘you would score a hundred, and the team would score 200 if you play 20 overs.’
“And that’s what he did against Rajasthan Royals. He played 20 overs and scored a brilliant hundred. Chennai lost the match because Rajasthan played very well that day,” Vengsarkar added.
Gaikwad had debuted for India during their tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. Although he couldn’t have much of an impact, he certainly showed he has what it takes to make it at the top level.
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