"Shubman Gill has gone far ahead in that race" - Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad's place in India's side
Aakash Chopra reckons Ruturaj Gaikwad will have to wait to represent India consistently as Shubman Gill, a potential competitor for a top-order berth, has raced ahead of him. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the Maharashtra batter is unlikely to get a place in any of the formats currently.
India will face Bangladesh in a two-Test series, with the first game commencing in Chennai on September 19. While Gill has been picked in the squad, Gaikwad has been ignored.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked about Gaikwad's place in India's side.
"He has a fan club now. A base has been created that likes Ruturaj Gaikwad, which is fair. Honestly, when Rutu bats - 'Dukh bhare din beete re bhaiya, ab sukh aayo re' - you get a feeling like that. You watch him playing drives with the straight bat, cut shots and pulls. He looks technically compact, batting like pure desi ghee," he responded (3:00).
"However, what is happening with Ruturaj Gaikwad is that at this point, at least for another one to one-and-a-half years, he is at the wrong time. Shubman Gill has gone far ahead in that race. Whoever is attached to Indian cricket, whether it's the captain, coaches or selectors, everyone has decided that Shubman Gill is your next captain and superstar," Chopra added.
Gill captained India in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July this year. He was also Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the subsequent T20I series against Sri Lanka.
"There aren't too many places" - Aakash Chopra on a spot for Ruturaj Gaikwad in India's Test side
Aakash Chopra noted that a vacant spot isn't available for Ruturaj Gaikwad in Test cricket.
"There aren't too many places. If we talk about Test cricket, Yashasvi (Jaiswal) is there with Rohit (Sharma) at the top. They will remain for quite some time. Then Shubman Gill has come at No. 3, Virat Kohli is at No. 4, and then you will have a wicketkeeper, which is Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul at No. 5 at the moment, and someone else might come later," he explained (4:10) in the same video.
While observing that the Men in Blue don't play many ODIs, the former India opener added that the Chennai Super Kings skipper is unlikely to be picked in T20Is.
"India doesn't play ODI cricket and will not play as well. So Ruturaj Gaikwad will have to wait. I don't think anyone will consider him for T20 cricket in any case at this point in time because Virat and Rohit have left and the T20 template will be created differently where very aggressive batters will be selected. Shubman Gill's name might also not be in that list eventually," Chopra reasoned.
Gaikwad has aggregated 115 runs at an underwhelming average of 19.17 in six ODIs. He has fared better in T20Is, amassing 633 runs at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53 in 20 innings.