Many were confused by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma‘s absence from India’s upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. Despite giving a strong performance on their most recent trip of Zimbabwe, the pair was unable to win over the selectors and hold onto their spots.
Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI chief selector, and Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach, participated in a press conference on Monday, July 22.
Ajit Agarkar was questioned regarding Ruturaj and Abhishek’s exclusion at the occasion. The former speedster for India reassured the country’s supporters that the selection process is equitable, using Rinku Singh as an example. Singh was left out of India’s 15-man team for the T20 World Cup last month, despite his regular performances for the Men in Blue. Only 15 players can be chosen for the squad, according to Agarkar, and it’s difficult to include every player who is performing well.
“Any player removed from the team will feel unfairly treated. Take a look at Rinku, who did incredibly well in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup but was not selected. At the press conference, Agarkar stated, “We can only choose 15.”
Earlier this month, during the five-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe, Ruturaj finished as India’s fourth-highest run scorer. He scored 133 runs at a 66.50 average and 158.33 strike rate in three innings. In addition, the right-handed hitter has scored one century and two half-centuries in his last seven T20I innings, average above 70.
During the tour, Abhishek made his debut on the international scene and had a thrilling first two games. In his first game, he scored a four-ball duck, but in the following one, he hammered 100 from 47 balls. He took two wickets in the series as well.
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On their next visit to Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue will play three Twenty20 Internationals and as many One-Day Internationals. Pallekele will host the T20I leg before the 50-over matches take place in Colombo.
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