Ruturaj Gaikwad's ODI inclusion 'makeshift compensation' for Test exile: ‘Should be a guaranteed starter, not fallback’

Ruturaj Gaikwad did not have a great return to the ODI setup, as he managed just eight runs in the Ranchi game against South Africa.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been performing in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) for several years, but national call-ups have been few and far between for the talented 28-year-old. The right-handed batter, who leads Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL, has played just seven ODIs, and his return to international cricket was not an ideal one as he managed just eight runs after Dewald Brevis' fantastic effort at backward point cut short his stint at the crease.

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored just eight runs in the first ODI against South Africa. (PTI)

Gaikwad, who plays as an opener or No.3 more often than not in domestic cricket and the IPL, was tried out at No.4 in the first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, and he lasted just 14 balls in the middle. It is also worth mentioning that the 28-year-old only got a chance in the playing XI due to the injury to Shreyas Iyer.

However, Priyank Panchal, India's domestic cricket stalwart, believes Ruturaj playing at No.4 is just a case of “makeshift compensation” for not being able to include him in the Test scheme of things.

Panchal also stated that a player like Panchal should be a guaranteed starter rather than being a fallback option. It is worth mentioning that prior to the first ODI against the Proteas, Ruturaj was seen having long and lengthy conversations with both head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.

“I think it’s just a makeshift compensation for not including him in the red-ball setup. He’s great against spinners so that helps ofcourse, but a player like that should be a guaranteed starter not a fallback option,” Panchal wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Gaikwad's dismissal

Speaking of Gaikwad's dismissal, Brevis just pulled off an absolute screamer after flying across to his right. Ottneil Baartman bowled a good length delivery, and the batter went for a drive on the up.

However, the ball went to the right to the backward point where Brevis was firmly stationed. The South African player, who shares the dressing room with Gaikwad for CSK, showcased tremendous reflexes to send the batter back to the hut.

Coming back to Gaikwad, the CSK captain had made his India ODI debut in 2022, and since then, he has played only seven games. It is worth mentioning that he has also represented the country in 23 T20Is.

Speaking of the first ODI, South Africa's stand-in captain Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turned back the clock as the duo formed a 136-run stand for the second wicket.

Rohit managed to score 57 before being dismissed by Marco Jansen. The other opening batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal, scored 18 runs off 16 balls before being sent back to the pavilion by Nandre Burger.