Interestingly, he was not selected for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.
In a recent development coming in, a Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fan favourite is in contention to travel to Down Under later this year for the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
Notably, he is being shortlisted for the role of a third opener, as a backup to India skipper Rohit Sharma and young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal, a TOI report claims.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is a key member of the Chennai-based franchise, also became the team’s captain ahead of the last India Premier League (IPL 2024) season after MS Dhoni relinquished the role.
Gaikwad recently however did not make the cut for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh which led to a lot of criticisms and debates by fans and pundits alike.
He was instead named in the Irani Cup.
It has now been known that this future plan of taking Gaikwad to Australia is precisely the reason for his absence from the Bangladesh T20I leg.
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The team management wants the 27-year-old to be prepared as the third opener for the marquee series starting on November 22, considering the possibility of injuries to their regular openers during the lengthy five-match series.
To ensure Ruturaj stays ready for the requirements of the long format, the management has asked him to continue playing red-ball cricket at the domestic level.
As a result, he is currently leading the Rest of India squad against Mumbai in the 2024 Irani Cup, which began on October 1.
A source privy to the development revealed, “There has been a lot of hue and cry after Gaikwad wasn’t picked for the T20Is against Bangladesh despite regular T20I openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill being rested. The selectors and team management want him as the third opener in Australia. You need a third opener there, as injuries could take place during a long five-Test series. There aren’t too many good candidates for the third openers’ slot than Gaikwad. He needs to keep playing red-ball matches. This is why he has been asked to lead ROI (Rest of India) in the Irani Cup”.
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