"Uska bhi time aayega" - Suryakumar Yadav on Ruturaj Gaikwad not being picked for IND vs SA 2024 T20I series
Team India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav is confident that Ruturaj Gaikwad will get his fair share of chances to prove his worth in international cricket. Reacting to the batter not being picked for the T20I series in South Africa, Suryakumar explained that there have been players who have been performing before him and that the management is trying to follow a process that is in place.
Gaikwad was part of the Indian T20I squad during the series in Zimbabwe in July. He did a good job, registering scores of 77* and 49 in two of the games. However, the right-hander has been out of the Indian team since.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first India vs South Africa T20I, which will be played in Durban on Friday, November 8, Suryakumar praised Gaikwad, while also backing the decision to not pick him for the South Africa T20Is.
"Rutu (Ruturaj) is a fantastic player. He has been performing consistently across all formats, wherever he plays. There are a lot of players who have been performing well even before him, so there is a routine or process that I think that the management has come up with, so it is important to follow that," the Indian captain commented.
"He is young and is doing well. I feel, uska bhi number aayega. Uska bhi time aayega. (His time will also come)," Suryakumar asserted.
Gaikwad is currently representing India A against Australia. Leading the team, he was dismissed for 0 & 5 in the first unofficial Test at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Australia A went on to win the match by seven wickets.
The second unofficial Test began on November 7. Gaikwad again perished cheaply and was dismissed by Michael Neser for 4. Bowling first after winning the toss, India A were bundled out for 161 in 57.1 overs despite Dhruv Jurel's 80.
Ruturaj Gaikwad's stats in international cricket so far
Having made his debut in July 2021, Gaikwad has featured in 23 T20Is so far and has scored 633 runs at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53, with one hundred and four fifties to his credit.
The 27-year-old has also featured in six ODIs, scoring 115 runs runs at an average of 19.16. He has one fifty to his name in the format, which came against Australia in Mohali in September 2023, when he scored 71 off 77.