"Shubman Gill is the selectors' delight" - K Srikkanth accuses Indian selectors of 'favoritism' for snubbing Ruturaj Gaikwad from T20 WC squad
Former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner K Srikkanth has slammed the selectors for overlooking Ruturaj Gaikwad while picking their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup to be played in June.
Srikkanth pointed out the difference in form of Gaikwad and Shubman Gill, who has been picked in the travelling reserves by the Men in Blue. The former Indian opener bluntly claimed that the selectors did favoritism by selecting Gill over Gaikwad.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what K Srikkanth had to say about Ruturaj Gaikwad's exclusion:
"He (Gaikwad) scored more than 500 runs in 17 T20I innings. Also, he scored a century against Australia. Shubman Gill is totally out of form, but why is he selected in the team? Shubman Gill is the selectors' delight. He gets a chance even if he fails. He finds a place even if he fails in Test, ODIs and T20s. There's too much favoritism in selection. The team selection is all about favoritism."
Gaikwad has been in stunning form in IPL 2024 as well and is currently on top of the Orange Cap list. He has scored 509 runs from 10 games at a fantastic average of 63.63 and a strike rate of 146.68.
K Srikkanth slams Indian selectors for Rinku Singh's exclusion too
K Srikkanth was also livid with the selectors for not picking left-hander Rinku Singh in their 15-man T20 World Cup squad. Despite averaging 89 in 15 T20Is at a strike rate of 176.23, the southpaw missed out on a berth and Srikkanth claimed that it was a 'rubbish' decision.
On this, he stated:
"This is rubbish, rubbish selection. Why do you need 4 spinners? All of them have to go? You have made the selection to please a few people and you have made Rinku Singh a scapegoat. "
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed the press on Thursday and the former explained how the team combination was the only reason why Rinku missed out.