Ruthuraj Gaikwad in Tests soon! Gautam Gambhir’s grand plans for the opener are revealed

New Delhi: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s non-selection in the Indian team for the upcoming T20 series against Bangladesh has shocked many. The prolific right-hander is expected to be the first-choice opener alongside Abhishek Sharma for the series, with Shubman Gill rested after his performance in the recently concluded two-match Test rubber against the visitors. But Gaekwad did not get a place in the Indian team.

Gaekwad has been left out of the T20I squad as he has been named as the Rest of India captain for the Irani Cup clash against the Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, currently underway at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Gaikwad is in Team India’s plans for Tests and could make his debut in the longest format soon.

According to a report in the Times of India, the Indian team management is looking to prepare Gaikwad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia later this year. India will travel to Australia for a five-match Test series starting November 22. Gaikwad could be picked as a back-up opener to Rohit Sharma and Yashaswi Jaiswal for this series.

Gautam Gambhir wanted Rutheraj Gaikwad in Tests

Head coach Gautam Gambhir wants Gaekwad to be ready to line up the Indian team in Tests if Rohit or Jaiswal is injured and unavailable. India’s long Test season began with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh in the recently concluded two-match series, followed by a three-match Test series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

“The selectors and team management want him (Gaikwad) as the third opener in Australia,” Times of India quoted a source as saying.

Gaekwad has already made his ODI and T20I debuts for India and has excelled in white-ball cricket. However, he is yet to make his Test debut for the National team. With India having a long season ahead, Gaekwad may soon get a chance to prove his mettle in the longer format.

Currently one of the most technically skilled batsmen in Indian cricket, Gaekwad has struggled to rise through the ranks in domestic cricket. He scored 2273 runs at an average of over 42 in 32 first-class matches, including six centuries and 12 fifties. Gaikwad, who leads the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has also been a consistent performer for the franchise over the past few years.

Gaikwad was also in good form in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy 2024, where he scored 232 runs in 3 matches to become the 4th highest run-scorer in the tournament. The Maharashtra batsman will be hoping to continue his purple patch in the Irani Cup against Mumbai and increase the bogey knock in the game.