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This is not the first time that the Indian team selections have excluded several in-form players, but this time it is not because of injuries, propaganda or conflict with the men’s selection committee, but because of the growing depth of the Indian team.
These players include Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh, who have some numbers in domestic cricket. India is also reportedly considering preparing a core squad for next year’s World Cup in South Africa and hence, some experiments need to be done.
Although there are several good players in the Indian team and players who have impressed with magnificent performances, some players have been overlooked from time to time despite their dominant performance. So Aakash Chopra dropped a crazy suggestion to these players.
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“If these three players had played for a different country, they would have been a permanent part of their ODI team-” – Aakash Chopra
Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has named three Indian players who fall into the category of Indian real-time stars who have been consistently overlooked by the BCCI selectors as well as the Indian team management.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is one of the three names mentioned. It is known that Gaikwad is a splendid hitter and has remarkable figures in List A cricket, where he has an average of 58.83, the highest of any Indian in List A cricket with over 5,000 runs. He also scored a century for India in the previous series against South Africa.
“If these three players had played for a different country, they would have been a permanent part of their ODI team,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“First of all, there is Ruturaj Gaikwad. If you see his numbers in List A, it will leave you shocked. He has the best List A average to date, tallying over 5,000 runs in 99 matches, 20 of which are centuries. Gaikwad has also played a handful of ODIs and made a century in the previous series. But he is still struggling to find a place in the Indian team. That’s the kind of depth that we have. Gaikwad is unstoppable,” he added.
Devdutt Padikkal averages over 80 in List A cricket
The next name on the list is this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy star Devdutt Padikkal, the Karnataka hitter who has been unstoppable this season, and he has thanked his RCB coaches for his transformation into a smashing shot-maker.
“The second player in this list has an average of 82 in List A. At an average of 82, Padikkal has scored and made over 3000 runs in just 39 games. Although Gaikwad has at least played, Padikkal is not even part of the conversation. He is brilliant, but there is no room for Padikkal yet,” Aakash Chopra said through the aforementioned source.
Devdutt Padikkal has managed to score 640 runs in just 7 innings this season and with an average of 91.42 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is currently the highest scorer in the domestic competition.
“Rinku isn’t even part of the conversation” – Aakash Chopra
The last name suggested was that of UP middle-order batsman Rinku Singh, who averages 53.44 in List A cricket. Although Rinku, unlike Gaikwad and Devdutt Padikkal, does not have multiple centuries, as many say, he bats at one of the most crucial and difficult places in the XI.
“The third is Rinku Singh. He has played almost 70 List A matches and averages over 50. Rinku often doesn’t earn hundreds because he plays in the middle order. But Rinku’s numbers are always mind-blowing. Like Padikkal, Rinku is not even part of the conversation. That tells you a lot about the depth of talent in India, and it’s incredible,” Aakash Chopra explained.
