MUMBAI: India's national selectors and the team management are looking at Maharashtra and Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad as the third opener for the five-Test series in Australia.
It is for this reason that Gaikwad wasn't picked for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which will begin from Oct 6 in Gwalior, but instead has been asked to lead Rest of India against Mumbai in the Irani Cup tie at Lucknow, starting today.
Gaikwad has scored 633 runs in 23 T20Is@39.56, with one hundred and four fifties, and has been a stellar performer for CSK having scored heavily in two title wins.
"There has been a lot of hue and cry after Gaikwad wasn't picked for the T20Is against Bangladesh despite regular T20I openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill being rested. The selectors and team management want him as the third opener in Australia. You need a third opener there as injuries could take place during a long five-Test series. There aren't too many good candidates for the third openers' slot than Gaikwad. He needs to keep playing red-ball matches. This is why he has been asked to lead ROI in the Irani Cup," a reliable source told TOI.
