December 3 was the date when Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his first ODI century against South Africa. After this century, it was assumed his place in the team was secured. However, when the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand was announced exactly a month later on Saturday, his name was absent.
It's worth noting that he returned to the Indian ODI team last November, almost two years later. The 28-year-old Gaikwad, versatile enough to bat at any position from numbers one to four, was included in place of Shreyas Iyer against South Africa while Yashasvi Jaiswal got a chance instead of Shubman Gill. In the first match, Jaiswal scored 18 runs, while Gaikwad only managed 8. Significantly, both were competing for the same backup spot. With Shubman and Shreyas set to return, at least one player had to miss out.
Gaikwad shines in the battle for the backup spot
In the second match, Gaikwad's remarkable innings of 105 runs gave him a significant edge. Jaiswal only managed 22 runs at that time. Gaikwad provided the flexibility that KL Rahul once offered. Although Jaiswal had higher potential, this left-handed batsman from Mumbai seemed to lag behind. However, he turned the tables with an unbeaten century in the final match.
Just a month later, Gaikwad found himself out of the Indian ODI squad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the return of Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Mohammed Siraj. Gaikwad became a casualty of these changes, along with Dhruv Jurel and Tilak Verma, who were also excluded from the team.
Now Gaikwad must wait longer. He might get another chance in the absence of Kohli or Rohit, but a comeback will not be easy. Jaiswal can fill Rohit's role, while Devdutt Padikkal has been knocking on the ODI team's door for quite some time now.
India's ODI Squad for New Zealand Series
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal
However, the availability of Shreyas Iyer will depend on fitness clearance from the BCCI's Center of Excellence (COE).
