BCCI Sent Big 'Ruturaj Gaikwad' Message Over New Zealand ODIs Squad, Asked To Drop This Star

Former Indian cricket team opener Sadagoppan Ramesh believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad should have been a part of the squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. Ramesh said that Ruturaj should have been included in place of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and questioned the decision to include a fifth seam-bowling option. Gaikwad recently scored a century in the ODI series against South Africa while batting at No. 4 but he was one of the big exclusions for the New Zealand series. Ramesh said that Reddy's role is not well defined as of now and instead, Gaikwad should have been included.

"He could've been selected in the squad in place of someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy. Why is a fifth seam-bowling option required? Whether or not Reddy will bat or bowl is unclear. When it's not even clear whether he will feature in the eleven, someone like Gaikwad should've been there in the squad."

Ramesh added that it is possible that Gaikwad will find a place in the squad if Shreyas Iyer is unable to recover from his injury but added that irrespective of the situation, the young batter was a 'must' in the team.

"India doesn't need a fifth seam-bowling option in the original squad for a home series. Even if there is an injury in the squad, someone can be called up soon as it is a home series. What they may have thought is if Shreyas Iyer doesn't clear the fitness test, Ruturaj Gaikwad can slot into the playing eleven. Even if Iyer is fit and plays all three matches, I feel Gaikwad was a must in the squad," he added.

India's squad for the ODI series against New Zealand: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sadagopan Ramesh Ruturaj Gaikwad Nitish Kumar Reddy India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team India vs New Zealand 2026 Cricket