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The BCCI unveiled India’s squads for the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka in both T20Is and ODIs, marking the beginning of a new era for Team India. This tour will be significant as it introduces Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach and sees Suryakumar Yadav taking charge as the T20I captain.
The selection choices by the Ajit Agarkar-led panel have drawn attention, particularly the exclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma from the T20I squad, despite their strong performances in the IPL and recent outings in Zimbabwe. Gaikwad, for instance, was one of the top run-scorers in this year’s IPL, amassing 583 runs while leading Chennai Super Kings.
His noteworthy performances in Zimbabwe, including scores of 49* and 77, underscored his potential, yet the selectors have opted for a different strategy, indicating Gaikwad’s status as a peripheral figure in India’s T20I plans, likely to feature primarily in secondary squads.
Ex-India captain slams selectors
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has strongly criticized the exclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad from India’s T20I squad, expressing his displeasure in a recent video on his YouTube channel. Alongside his son and former Tamil Nadu cricketer Srikkanth Anirudha, the outspoken cricket pundit didn’t hold back in sharing his disappointment over Gaikwad’s omission.
During their discussion, Krishnamachari Srikkanth didn’t shy away from voicing his opinions on other selections either. He questioned the presence of Shubman Gill in India’s T20I team and criticized the selectors for naming him as the vice-captain across both white-ball formats. Srikkanth emphasized that, in his view, Gaikwad should have been a definite inclusion in the T20I setup.
