Former Indian wicket-keeper batter and selector Kiran More applauded opening India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad for his batting and captaincy qualities following the first T20I against Ireland. Gaikwad scored a 19* off 16 balls in India’s run-chase as they won by eight wickets via the D/L method to take a 1-0 series lead.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, More expressed: “I’m waiting for his (Gaikwad) Test debut. Both (Gaikwad and Jaiswal) are outstanding players. Ruturaj can play all formats, his basics are so correct. He can be the future captain of India as well, he has got a great temperament. He’s playing under MS Dhoni, so he must have learnt things about handling the team and handling the situations. He’s a quality player, and I’m waiting for him to make his Test debut.”
READ MORE: Sanjay Manjrekar dissects Virat Kohli’s poor show in WTC Final
However, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain of Maharashtra in T20 and List-A cricket, captaining them to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy a year ago. He also played a key role in CSK winning the IPL title in 2021 and 2023, scoring 635 and 590 runs, respectively as well. Meanwhile, another former Indian wicket-keeper and selector, Saba Karim, also felt that it would only get tougher for Ruturaj Gaikwad to remain in the Indian team amidst all the competition as well.
READ MORE: Harbhajan Singh says Australia have the upperhand in the WTC final
“Yashasvi scored a hundred on Test debut, then smashed a half-century during the T20I series against West Indies as well. Things are not easy for him, because there are several cricketers waiting for Ruturaj Gaikwad to fail so they can get a look-in. This is when your character has to come out, can you take that pressure? That is why this is a phase where he has to rely on his ability and try to put a big score,” said Karim.
