Star batter Travel Giikwad has been in and around the Indian team for a while now but has not been able to make his stay permanent, be it in any format. Former Chennai Super Kings and Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that Ruturaj will eventually lose his form in crucial matches, leaving the selectors in the lurch and ultimately forcing the Maharashtra batsman to leave his place from the side.
Uthappa further said that it is very essential to go the extra mile and score runs at crucial moments in a series or tournament, which can help a player gain the confidence of the selectors and team management. The cricketer-turned-commentator further said that Ruturaj will have to keep this aspect in mind if he wants to become a long-term fixture in the Indian team.
“With Ruturaj, I have noticed one thing. At the right time, he loses his form a little bit. In Indian cricket, it is important to strike while the iron is hot. His time came two to three times and his form went down a bit. So to maintain the form and to get the opportunities at the right time, he has to be in the right place.” Uthappa said in a video on his YouTube channel.
It is worth noting that Ruturaj scored his maiden ODI hundred in the recently concluded series against South Africa, batting in the mid-range, outside his usual position. However, in the rest of the eight games since his debut, he only managed two double-digit scores. Lack of consistency has not helped the management show their confidence in Ruturaj for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
In the meantime, Shreyas Iyer has also been cleared to resume playing for the Men in Blue after recovering from his spleen injury, and will take up his usual number 4 position. As a result, Ruturaj was ignored when choosing the 15-man squad. With India playing their next ODI series much further in July 2026, it will be interesting to see if Ruturaj can perform consistently and regain his place in the Indian team.
India ODI squad for New Zealand series
Shubman Gill (captain), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit RanaPrasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj
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