Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn't picked in either of Indian squads for Sri Lanka tour.
The BCCI’s announcement of the Indian squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour has ruffled quite a few feathers. India is slated to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Sri Lanka beginning July 27.
While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the ODI side for the first time since the ODI World Cup final last year, the T20I team saw Suryakumar Yadav being named the new captain. However, performers from the recent Zimbabwe T20I tour like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma were dropped from the squad for a shorter format.
Ruturaj Gaikwad had scores of 7, 77, and 49 in three innings against Zimbabwe and was rested for the final T20I of the series, as India had already won the series. On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma scored a century in only his second T20I, but then lost his opening spot to Yashasvi Jaiswal for the last few T20Is.
Another issue with the selection call was Rinku Singh’s wait for an ODI call-up lengthened further despite a good showing in the handful of 50-over matches he has played.
Former India batter S Badrinath made a rather controversial remark over the snub of Gaikwad and Rinku in the two formats. While Gaikwad hasn't been included in any of the two squads, Rinku has retained his place in the T20I team.
Badrinath insinuated that cricketers might require more than just performances to ensure a place in the Indian squad.
The statement from Badrinath – originally in Tamil – has been translated by many on the social media platform X, and the former India batter has since been quoted by MyKhel Tamil too.
“Sometimes it seems like you need a bad guy image when the likes of Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and others are not selected for the Indian team. It seems that you need to be in a relationship with some Bollywood actresses, have a good media manager, and have body tattoos,” Badrinath said on Cric Debate With Badri.