Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has questioned Ruturaj Gaikwad’s handling ahead of India’s ODI series against New Zealand. He wondered why Ruturaj was played at No. 4 in the preceding ODI series against South Africa when he was unlikely to be played at that position despite performing well as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Ruturaj made a hundred, scored runs out of position, and you dropped him. You had to drop him because as soon as Shreyas Iyer becomes available, he will only play at No. 4. So why did you play Ruturaj Gaikwad at No. 4? You would have written his obituary if he had failed there. However, when he has done well, you have still dropped him. So what’s the philosophy? I feel the way Ruturaj Gaikwad was first picked and then dropped, played out of position, is not right.”

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“He got out early in the first match. Dewald Brevis took an incredible catch. If he had gotten out early in the second and third matches as well, they would have said that so much ruckus had been created to play Rutu, his Vijay Hazare Trophy is not going that well and we played him out of turn, but he got out, so there is no reason to play him now, and that story is done. So you basically write a cricketer’s obituary,” he further added.

however, Aakash Chopra also stated that Shreyas Iyer was bound to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad at No. 4 once Iyer was fit and available, irrespective of the latter’s performances as well.

“When he (Gaikwad) has scored runs, does that guarantee that you reward him and keep him in the team? You cannot keep him, and it’s not your fault there either. You cannot keep him in the team because there is no place. Shreyas Iyer comes and plays at No. 4. There is nothing wrong with that. However, my question is that if he (Gaikwad) had failed, you would have written his obituary, and now that he has succeeded, you cannot reward him. So the philosophy became wrong. Why did you play him at No. 4? When you played Rutu off-position, you just threw him down the river,” Aakash Chopra concluded.