"Ruturaj Gaikwad’s class is not talked about"- Ravi Ashwin stunned at CSK captain’s India T20I snub

Ruturaj Gaikwad last played T20I for India on the tour of Zimbabwe in 2024.

Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the Indian team’s management for repeatedly excluding Maharashtra batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad from the limited-overs squad.

Gaikwad last played for India in a T20I series immediately after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, when he toured Zimbabwe with a second-string team. Gaikwad has played 23 T20Is for India, scoring 633 runs with an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53.

He has scored a century (123*) and four fifties. Gaikwad also guided India to a T20I series victory over Australia shortly after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

He’s got all the shots in the book: Ravi Ashwin praises Ruturaj Gaikwad

He has excellent numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well, scoring 2502 runs in 71 games for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), at a strike rate of 137.70, scoring two centuries and 20 fifties.

Speaking about Gaikwad, Ashwin said, “We do not need to talk about Ruturaj Gaikwad’s class. He’s got all the shots in the book. The only thing is there is no information as to why he is not in the scene after his last T20 series.”

He further stated that he hoped the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) communicated with Ruturaj, else his confidence could be shattered by continuous snubs from the Men in Blue side.

“When he played the last T20, the coach was different, and the captain was different. The issue is if there is no communication with such players, they will largely be left in the dark. I really hope he is being communicated to. He is batting brilliantly in red ball as well. I hope they consider him for a middle-order role,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.’

No place for anchor players at the top in modern T20I cricket: Ravi Ashwin takes a dig at Shubman Gill

Ashwin has expressed his opinions about contemporary T20 openers, stating that anchor players like Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have no place. Both Kohli and Shubman like to take their time to get set in the middle, often using up valuable deliveries in an innings that has 120 balls to play for.

“In modern-day T20 cricket, you will not be selected as an opener if you come with a strike-rate of less than 145. I am very sorry to say. You like players like Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and all these players who are setting it up for you. You could win the T20 World Cup because of how Virat played in the final against South Africa. But when you have players like these on one side, you need to fight on the other side. That’s why Rohit took it upon himself,” he said.

Gaikwad has not been in India A scene as well after a poor Australia tour last year. But he has done well in the ongoing 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season for Maharashtra, scoring 91, 55*, 116, and 36*. He was named in India A squad for the white-ball series against South Africa A that begins next week.

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