IND vs WI: Hope They Give Ruturaj Gaikwad An Opportunity: Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian player Sunil Gavaskar is hopeful to see Maharashtra batter Ruturaj Gaikwad in India’s Playing XI for the final T20I match against the West Indies on Sunday.

After sealing the T20I series with an unassailable 2-0 lead against Kieron Pollard and his men, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to hand bio-bubble breaks to Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant for four T20I matches.

Ruturaj Gaikwad waiting for his opportunity to break into the Indian team

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had an astounding 2021 with the bat in IPL and domestic cricket, hasn’t been able to find a spot in the Indian team despite being in the squad for the New Zealand (T20Is) and South Africa (ODIs) in the last few months. The Maharashtra skipper was once again seen warming the bench during the first two T20I fixtures against the West Indies.

Hope they give Ruturaj Gaikwad an opportunity: Sunil Gavaskar

With Jharkhand player Ishan Kishan’s diminishing returns as India’s opener in the first couple of matches, Ruturaj could make a place in that position, somewhere he has excelled in his last few tournaments. Gavaskar said if India wants to prepare a team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 later this year, the team management must consider as many players and give them ample opportunities.

“Certainly, hope they give him an opportunity because that is what you want now. If you are building up for Melbourne, you want to try and see as many players as possible. But mind you, just one game is not enough to decide or get an indication that they need to be in the team but the fact that they will get to play in the same kind of condition as the other two matches then that is good. I would like to see someone like Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj. But most team management’s don’t make 3-4 changes, probably 1-2 odd changes,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports. 

Ruturaj made his T20 International debut against Sri Lanka last year. He slammed four centuries from five innings to accumulate 603 runs at a staggering average of 150.75 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22.

Also Read: IND vs WI: We Need To Give Ishan Kishan Another Game, No Point Giving Ruturaj Gaikwad One Game: Wasim Jaffer