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Ruturaj Gaikwad told to ‘keep fighting’ after ODI snub vs NZ: 'Especially if you’re not from Mumbai, Delhi or Punjab'
Uthappa highlighted the relentless effort needed to succeed in Indian cricket, especially for players outside the major hubs of Mumbai, Delhi, and Punjab.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s exclusion from India’s squad for the New Zealand series has sparked questions over the BCCI selection committee’s choices. The Chennai batter had scored a century in his most recent outing against South Africa but was still left out. His omission coincides with the return of Shreyas Iyer, who rejoins the team after recovering from an injury sustained during the Australia tour, adding fuel to the debate over selection priorities. Meanwhile, Iyer's availability is subject to his fitness clearance, and despite this uncertainty, the selectors opted against naming Gaikwad as a backup option.
Former India batter Robin Uthappa spoke about Gaikwad’s surprising exclusion, calling it tough to process. He noted the pressure of constantly being in “survival mode” in Indian cricket and emphasised the importance of resilience, positive self-talk, and focusing on silver linings to cope with setbacks and keep moving forward.
“Buddy, it’s very hard to process. You have to make it make sense, right? It takes a toll, and you need to almost kind of find silver linings to kind of lean back on. In these circumstances, it’s not the easiest thing to do. It’s hectic, and you’ve to find a way to see silver linings. One of the challenges with Indian cricket is that you’re constantly operating on survival mode. And to switch from that mindset, it takes immense amount of resilience, immense amount of self-talk and positive self-talk, and you’ve to be able to be a silver linings guy," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
“You’ve to find a way to keep fighting”: Uthappa's message to Gaikwad
Gaikwad made his ODI debut in 2022 but has struggled for consistent opportunities since. In nine matches, he has scored 228 runs at an average of 28.50, including a century and a fifty.
Uthappa emphasised the relentless effort required to succeed in Indian cricket, particularly for players from outside the major cricket hubs of Mumbai, Delhi, and Punjab. He stressed the importance of continually pushing oneself, fighting, and persevering to carve out a place at the highest level.
“And you’ve to find a way to keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting, especially if you don’t come from one of three big states in India, which is Mumbai, Delhi, and Punjab. If you’re not from one of those states, then you’ve to keep pushing yourself, pushing yourself," he added.
