Former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his opinion on India's announced squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The 15-member squad announced on Saturday read Shubman Gill as the captain of the side, while Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul formed the core batting unit.
While reflecting on the squad, the off-spinner specifically stated that ace batter Ruturaj Gaikwad could have been picked over the wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. He feels that Pant is more suited to bat in the top order in white-ball cricket, whereas the Gaikwad is capable of playing spin well and rotating strike in the middle overs, which he put up on display with his maiden century during the recent South Africa series.
The real toss-up in the selection was between Pant and Gaikwad after Shreyas Iyer's comeback into the team after his recovery. In the end, the selectors decided to go with an extra wicketkeeping option and a left-handed batter in Pant, whereas the Maharashtra cricketer found himself dropped despite proving his mettle against South Africa.
