Gaikwad’s axe is highly debated everytime by fans of social media whenever his name remains absent from India’s squads. Weighing in on the same, former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels Gaikwad’s snub is not his or the selectors’ fault. And that it’s purely because there are way too many openers in contention that Gaikwad falls behind in the pecking order. Gaikwad’s direct competition is with the likes of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Ashwin reminded of Gaikwad’s stunning century against Australia in Guwahati, where he scored 123. So if someone of his caliber can’t break through in the team, imagine the headache.

“India’s top order is packed. Up top, we have a lot of contenders. Ruturaj, Yashasvi, Shubman Gill… they are either playing one-day cricket or aren’t in the scheme of things. In his last T20I, Gaikwad scored a 100, took Maxwell to the cleaners. But he hasn’t gotten an opportunity since. It’s because there are so many people competing for two spots,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Sanju Samson came ‘out of the syllabus’

The fact that Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are blasting it left, right and centre isn’t helping Gaikwad’s case, let alone Gill and Jaiswal. Samson is coming off sensational batting – smashing three hundreds in five innings, while Abhishek’s lusty hitting is making heads turn. The left-handed youngster scored his maiden hundred in just his 2nd T20I, and his last three scores read 50, 36 and 79.

“Sanju Samson has taken one out of those two places. He scored two centuries. And came out of the syllabus. A No. 3 batter opened, scored runs and booked his slot. For the other one, pressure was mounting on Abhishek Sharma. He knew that players were gunning for that slot, including Gaikwad. The way he played under pressure. He got a message from the team management that you have the freedom to go and play carefree,” added Ashwin.