Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir Face Scrutiny Over Ruturaj Gaikwad's Snub From New Zealand ODIs: 'He Should Have Been In The 15'

India vs New Zealand: 1983 World Cup winner, Kris Srikkanth, once again took a scathing attack at BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and India head coach Gautam Gambhir after Ruturaj Gaikwad was snubbed from the 15-member squad for the upcoming New Zealand ODI series.

Earlier on January 3, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Team India's 15-member squad for the three-match ODIs against New Zealand.

Shubman Gill has been named as the captain for the three-match ODIs against the Kiwis. Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the vice-captain; however, his availability is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI COE.

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Kris Srikkanth Reflects On Ruturaj Gaikwad's Snub From New Zealand ODI Squad

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, former cricketer Kris Srikkanth poked fun at Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying that the batter can get into the squad only if the 28-year-old says that he can keep wickets.

Srikkanth added that Gaikwad should have been in the 15-member squad instead of Nitish Kumar Reddy.

"Maybe Ruturaj Gaikwad can say I've played with Dhoni, so I can also keep. That's the only way he might get selected in the team. Shreyas Iyer is a certainty, so he should have been included. But Ruturaj Gaikwad should have been in the 15. Instead of having Nitish Kumar Reddy, keep him in the 15," Kris Srikkanth said.

He pointed out how the selection committee forgot about Gaikwad's century against the Proteas. The former cricketer further added that the Indian batter needs to start from scratch now.

"It's saying even if you score a century, there is no chance. Now Gaikwad has to start from scratch and score a mountain of runs because they'll forget this century against South Africa. They've dropped him also, so he has to score big again in domestic cricket," he added.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad's Stats In ODIs

Ruturaj Gaikwad began his ODI career in 2022 against South Africa in Lucknow. In the ODIs, the 28-year-old played nine matches and eight innings, scoring 228 runs at a strike rate of 89.76 and an average of 28.50. He slammed one century and one fifty in the 50-over format for the Men in Blue.