NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth has launched a blistering critique against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for overlooking Chennai Super Kings’ rising star Ruturaj Gaikwad in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 squad selection. Srikkanth’s scathing remarks highlight concerns of favoritism and biased selection practices within the cricketing hierarchy.
Expressing his dismay over Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission, Srikkanth denounced the decision as he questioned the inclusion of Shubman Gill, despite his subpar performances across formats.
“There’s no doubt that Ruturaj Gaikwad deserves a place. He scored more than 500 runs in 17 T20I innings. Also he scored a century against Australia,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “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,” voiced Srikkanth, pointing out what he perceives as unjustifiable favoritism towards Gill.
Srikkanth’s criticism stems from Ruturaj Gaikwad’s impressive display in the IPL 2024 too, where he has emerged as the highest run-scorer with over 500 runs in 10 innings. Despite his stellar form, Ruturaj found himself snubbed from the national squad, raising eyebrows among cricket enthusiasts and pundits alike.India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Expressing his dismay over Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission, Srikkanth denounced the decision as he questioned the inclusion of Shubman Gill, despite his subpar performances across formats.
“There’s no doubt that Ruturaj Gaikwad deserves a place. He scored more than 500 runs in 17 T20I innings. Also he scored a century against Australia,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “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,” voiced Srikkanth, pointing out what he perceives as unjustifiable favoritism towards Gill.
Srikkanth’s criticism stems from Ruturaj Gaikwad’s impressive display in the IPL 2024 too, where he has emerged as the highest run-scorer with over 500 runs in 10 innings. Despite his stellar form, Ruturaj found himself snubbed from the national squad, raising eyebrows among cricket enthusiasts and pundits alike.
Furthermore, Srikkanth’s condemnation extended to the exclusion of Rinku Singh from the T20 World Cup squad, which he branded as “rubbish” selection. Drawing attention to Rinku’s pivotal contributions in challenging situations, particularly against Afghanistan in South Africa, Srikkanth lamented the selectors’ oversight, accusing them of sacrificing deserving candidates for the sake of appeasement.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan