Aakash Chopra, a former India player, has questioned Ruturaj Gaikwad’s handling ahead of the Men in Blue’s ODI series against New Zealand. He was perplexed as to why the Maharashtra batsman was placed at No. 4 in the previous ODI series against South Africa, despite his impressive performance.
India and New Zealand will play a three-match ODI series beginning at Vadodara on January 11. Shreyas Iyer is back in the 15-man Indian squad but will need to prove his fitness as Gaikwad remains out.
The former India opener in his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’ uploaded a video where he asked if it was the right decision to bat Gaikwad at No. 4 against South Africa.
“Ruturaj made a hundred, scored runs out of position, and you dropped him. You had to drop him because as soon as Shreyas Iyer becomes available, he will only play at No. 4. So why did you play Ruturaj Gaikwad at No. 4?.”
Aakash Chopra stated that if Gaikwad had failed in the ODIs against the Proteas, his career would have been over.
“You would have written his obituary if he had failed there. However, when he has done well, you have still dropped him. So what’s the philosophy? I feel the way Ruturaj Gaikwad was first picked and then dropped, played out of position, is not right,” the cricketer-turned-commentator observed.
“He got out early in the first match. Dewald Brevis took an incredible catch. If he had gotten out early in the second and third matches as well, they would have said that so much ruckus had been created to play Rutu, his Vijay Hazare Trophy is not going that well and we played him out of turn, but he got out, so there is no reason to play him now, and that story is done. So you basically write a cricketer’s obituary.”
Aakash Chopra
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored just eight runs in the opening ODI against South Africa at Ranchi. However, he scored 105 off 83 balls in the second ODI in Raipur but did not bat in the final game in Visakhapatnam.
“There is nothing wrong with that” – Aakash Chopra backs Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 ahead of IND vs NZ 2026 ODIs
In the same video, Aakash Chopra had noted that Shreyas Iyer was going to come in at No 4 instead of Ruturaj Gaikwad once Indian ODI vice-captain was fit and available, irrespective of the performances of others.
“When he (Gaikwad) has scored runs, does that guarantee that you reward him and keep him in the team? You cannot keep him, and it’s not your fault there either. You cannot keep him in the team because there is no place. Shreyas Iyer comes and plays at No. 4. There is nothing wrong with that.”
Aakash Chopra
The analyst also stated that playing Gaikwad at No. 4 was a virtual betrayal.
“However, my question is that if he (Gaikwad) had failed, you would have written his obituary, and now that he has succeeded, you cannot reward him. So the philosophy became wrong. Why did you play him at No. 4? When you played Rutu off-position, you just threw him down the river.”
Aakash Chopra
In conclusion, Aakash Chopra is pleased to see Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring runs at No. 4 which keeps him in contention. But Chopra feels the CSK skipper is better suited to open than bat at No.4 as he is not a “natural middle-order player”.
