Ruturaj Gaikwad out of India's T20 plans forever? Captain Suryakumar Yadav responds

Team India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up about opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad's exclusion from the squad for the upcoming four-match series in South Africa. Suryakumar Yadav praised Gaikwad for his ability and added that he will soon be back in the India national cricket team.

Ruturaj delivered impressive batting performances during the series in Zimbabwe in July. The right-handed batter scored 133 runs across four innings with an impressive average of 66.50 and a strike rate of 158.33. However, the young cricketer has not been included in the Indian cricket team since then.

Ruturaj Gaikwad Is A Fantastic Player - Suryakumar Yadav

Speaking at a press conference before the first T20I match, Suryakumar Yadav said that Ruturaj Gaikwad has been performing consistently across all formats, describing him as a fantastic player. However, Suryakumar backed the decision to exclude Gaikwad from the South Africa series.

"Rutu (Ruturaj) is a fantastic player. He has been performing consistently across all formats, wherever 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," the Indian captain said.

"He is young and is doing well. I feel, uska bhi number aayega. Woh kehte hain na 'apna time aayega', waise uska bhi time aayega aur jab aayega ek hi saath aayega line se ('My time will come' as the saying goes, and his time will come too, and he'll get multiple opportunities)," Suryakumar added.

The first T20I match between India and South Africa will be played at Kingsmead in Durban on November 8, Friday. Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg will host the remaining matches in the upcoming series.

Ruturaj Gaikwad Currently Captaining India A in Australia Tour

Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently captaining India A against Australia. The right-handed batter struggled with the bat, scoring 0 and 5 in the first unofficial Test at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Australia A clinched the match with a seven-wicket victory.

The Chennai Super Kings skipper was again dismissed for a low score in the second unofficial Test, which began on November 7. He managed to score only 4 runs after being bowled by Michael Neser. India A managed to score just 161 runs in 57.1 overs, with Dhruv Jurel top-scoring with 80 runs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad's Stats for Team India in International Cricket

Ruturaj Gaikwad has played 23 T20Is since his debut in July 2021. He has amassed 633 runs with an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53, including one century and four half-centuries.

The 27-year-old has represented India in six ODI matches, scoring 115 runs at an average of 19.16. His best performance was 71 runs off 77 balls against Australia in Mohali in September 2023.

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