Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh criticized the selectors for dropping Ruturaj Gaikwad from the squad for the ODI series against Afghanistan. The former batsman expressed disappointment at the decision, arguing that Gaikwad’s recent performances deserve recognition at the international level.
India will begin their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Saturday, June 13. The series marks India’s return to ODI cricket after IPL 2026 and allows the team to assess its options ahead of future ICC 50-over events.
Not even in the original squad – Sadagoppan Ramesh on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s insult
Sadagoppan Ramesh, while speaking on Instagram, questioned the selectors’ behavior with Ruturaj Gaikwad. The former India opener said it was surprising that the player who scored a century in his last ODI innings was not part of the original team and was only considered as a replacement in the India A setup.
“Not even being on the radar for the A team and even being a replacement option for a player who scored a century in his last international innings is sad. Even Ruturaj would be surprised that he has to replace a player like Riyan Parag in the A team. Even Jaiswal, who scored a century in his last ODI innings, has come in as a replacement for Virat Kohli. So two players who scored a century in their last ODI innings are not even in the original team. Were.”
Gaikwad made a strong statement with the bat in his last appearance for India, before being dropped from the senior ODI team. Batting at number 4 against South Africa in December, he scored a brilliant century and showed his ability to handle the middle order.
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored an average of 82 in Vijay Hazare Trophy – Sadagoppan Ramesh
Sadagoppan Ramesh continued to question the selectors’ decision to drop Ruturaj Gaikwad from the ODI squad. The former India opener said that Gaikwad should have been included at least as a backup batsman considering his recent performances in India and domestic cricket.
“Ruturaj should have at least been a backup batsman in the team. It is wrong to even ask what someone who scored a century in his last innings for India did after that in domestic cricket. But even if that is possible, Ruturaj averaged 82 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. This shows that he has not even been considered.”
Ruturaj is currently representing India A in the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka after joining the team in place of the injured Riyan Parag. He is the leading run-scorer in the series, having scored 167 runs in his first two innings, including a century against Sri Lanka A and a half-century against Afghanistan A.
It is wrong to consider his IPL form for the 50-over format – Sadagoppan Ramesh
Sadagoppan Ramesh said that the selectors made a mistake by leaving out Ruturaj Gaikwad from the ODI team. The former India opener argued that a player’s T20 performance should not be used to assess his suitability for 50-over cricket.
“It was wrong to drop someone from the team who had scored a century. But the worse and all-time mistake is to pick Ruturaj as a replacement option for the A team too. It is wrong to consider his IPL form for the 50-over format. It should be used only for T20Is.”
Gaikwad faced a tough IPL 2026 campaign, struggling to score consistently. The right-hander scored runs in 14 matches during the tournament at an average of 28.08 and a strike rate of 123.44. Many fans believe that Ruturaj Gaikwad deserves a place in India’s ODI team.
