R Ashwin rallies behind Ruturaj Gaikwad after ODI snub despite century vs South Africa: ‘No matter how you feel’

Key Highlights

• His exclusion made way for the return of Shreyas Iyer, who missed the Proteas series through injury and is yet to receive full fitness clearance.
• Despite that uncertainty, the selectors opted against naming Gaikwad even as a standby option.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the other hand, held on to his role as the third opener after his match-winning hundred against South Africa, once again pushing Gaikwad to the fringes of the ODI setup.
• Ruturaj Gaikwad has been dropped from the ODI squad against New Zealand series.(PTI) Ruturaj made his ODI debut in 2022, but since then, he hasn't had consistent opportunities and has played just nine matches, in which he scored 228 runs at an average of 28.50, including a century and a fifty.
• Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin offered words of encouragement to his former CSK teammate Gaikwad following his ODI squad snub, highlighting the fierce competition for spots in the Indian team and urging the batter to keep showing up and never give up.