A young Indian cricket team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, emerged victorious in a five-match T20I series against Australia, despite the absence of key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah. Ruturaj Gaikwad stood out as India’s top-scorer in the series, accumulating 223 runs in five matches with an impressive average of 55.75. However, former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Gaikwad will face tough competition from Shubman Gill for a spot in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup next year.
Chopra emphasized the importance of Gaikwad’s run-scoring performance in the series. He acknowledged that Gaikwad’s position in the squad will be challenged by the return of Rohit Sharma, and the similarities between Gaikwad and Gill’s playing styles. Chopra advised Gaikwad to continue scoring runs to secure his place in the squad for the World Cup.
Gaikwad’s 223 runs in the series against Australia set a new record for the most runs scored by any batter in a T20I bilateral series against Australia. Previously, the record was held by Martin Guptill of New Zealand, who scored 218 runs in five matches in 2021. Despite being dismissed for just 10 runs in the final match, Gaikwad’s outstanding performances in the preceding four matches helped him achieve this milestone.
Overall, Gaikwad currently stands as the third highest run-scorer in a single series among Indian batters, trailing behind KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Looking ahead, Gaikwad will aim to replicate, if not surpass, his performance during the upcoming tour of South Africa.
The Indian T20I squad for the South Africa tour includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-Captain), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and Deepak Chahar.
