Gautam Gambhir Returns, Joins Team India for New Zealand Series; Questions Raised Over Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Exclusion

After returning from the challenging South Africa tour, Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has spent some quality time with his family before arriving in Delhi. Meanwhile, former selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has expressed his displeasure over the exclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad from the squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. Shreyas Iyer has made a comeback from injury and has been appointed as the team’s vice-captain.

Gautam Gambhir Returns Home After South Africa Tour
Following the recently concluded South Africa series, Gambhir, India’s head coach, returned home to Delhi with his daughters after celebrating New Year in London. He is expected to join the Indian squad shortly for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, beginning January 11 in Vadodara.

India’s performance in South Africa was mixed. While the team lost the Test series 0-2, it bounced back with impressive wins in the ODI and T20 series. After the tour, Gambhir took a short break to spend time with his family. A recent video shared on social media shows him at Delhi airport, engaged in a phone conversation.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth Criticizes Gaikwad’s Exclusion
As Team India gears up for the first series of the new year, controversy has also emerged over team selection. Former cricketing legend and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth voiced his strong disappointment over Ruturaj Gaikwad’s omission from the New Zealand ODI squad.

Srikkanth argued that it was unfair to leave Gaikwad out, especially after he scored a magnificent 105 runs off 83 balls in the last ODI against South Africa. He remarked, “Perhaps now Ruturaj will have to say that he has played with Dhoni and can also keep wickets before he gets a chance. Scoring a century and still not making it to the 15-member squad is disappointing. He should have replaced Nitish Kumar Reddy in the team.”

Shreyas Iyer Returns as Vice-Captain
Shreyas Iyer has recovered from his injury and has been directly included in the squad, being entrusted with the vice-captaincy. Srikkanth expressed concern over Gaikwad’s future, stating that he will now have to score big in domestic cricket again, as selectors seem to have overlooked his recent century.