"It's not favoritism or bias" - Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad's non-selection for IND-A vs AUS-A series

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Ruturaj Gaikwad's non-selection in the India A squad for the upcoming series against Australia A cannot be termed favoritism or bias. He highlighted that other players have performed better than the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper and that it's also about the selectors' thought process.

India A will face Australia A in two multi-day matches in Lucknow, with the first game scheduled to start on September 16. The selectors picked the India A squad for the series on Saturday (September 6), with Gaikwad being one of the notable omissions.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener attributed Gaikwad's non-selection to the other players' superior performances and the selectors' judgment.

"Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 184 recently in the Duleep Trophy. However, he didn't score runs in the India A shadow tour during the BGT time, where he was the captain. He was part of the India A squad for the England tour, but didn't play. So he has been there and thereabouts," Chopra said (7:00).

"The thing that is going against Ruturaj is that what he has done is fine, but the others are coming after performing strongly. People are coming after setting domestic cricket on fire. You might say that if Shreyas Iyer is being kept, Ruturaj can also be kept. It's an eye test. It's about what you are seeing, and not necessarily about what the numbers are telling. It's not favoritism or bias," he added.

Chopra highlighted that Gaikwad hasn't been at his best in first-class cricket in the last year or so and hasn't played too many Ranji Trophy games either.

"He had an average of 38 in the 2024 Duleep Trophy. He didn't score a lot of runs in the Irani Trophy. He didn't score too many runs against Australia A, and he has played only four matches in the last two Ranji seasons. He has not played a lot of cricket," he observed.

Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Ruturaj Gaikwad's first-class average of 41.77 isn't bad at all. However, he noted that it's not outstanding either and that his omission is explainable.

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"It seems like the Indian selectors have started going in a slightly different direction" - Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar's non-selection

Rajat Patidar hasn't been picked in the India A squad. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Rajat Patidar is virtually in the same boat as Ruturaj Gaikwad, with the selectors potentially looking beyond the duo.

" In the same breath, Rajat Patidar, who also scored runs in the Duleep Trophy. He was elevated at one point, got a chance to play for the country. He was given opportunities in the series against England. There was hope that he would score runs as the conditions and pitches were good, but he didn't score there," he said (8:55).

"For the short term, that ship has also sailed, the bus has left the bus stop for both of them. It seems like the Indian selectors have started going in a slightly different direction," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

While acknowledging that Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar's non-selection is understandable, Aakash Chopra wondered whether Auqib Nabi couldn't have been picked. He highlighted that the Indian team is searching for fast bowlers and that the Jammu and Kashmir seamer has taken nine five-wicket hauls in 30 first-class games and picked up four wickets in four balls in the Duleep Trophy recently.