Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Ruturaj Gaikwad has rightly not been picked as Virat Kohli’s replacement for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been picked as Virat Kohli’s replacement after the latter suffered a hamstring injury in the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a fine knock of 101 runs off 114 balls against Sri Lanka A with the help of six fours and three sixes at Dambulla on Tuesday.
However, Gaikwad wasn’t in the best of forms in IPL 2026, scoring 337 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.08 and a strike rate of 123.44.
“Why wasn’t Ruturaj Gaikwad picked as Virat Kohli’s replacement? As we speak, a tri-nation series is being played where Ruturaj Gaikwad has been selected as a vice-captain, and he has scored a hundred in the first match while batting at No. 4. I am saying he hasn’t been selected just because of one reason. Neither he nor Yashasvi Jaiswal has a chance of playing in the XI,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Neither of them would play, unless, of course, Rohit Sharma isn’t fully fit and is unavailable because he had slight issues in the IPL. So, Yashavi might play as an opener, but there will be no place in the middle order. Rutu’s number will also come at some stage, but he is auditioning for a middle-order role. He had scored a hundred when he was given a chance at that number. So that is where the opening should come,” he added.
Chopra said since Yashasvi Jaiswal is an integral part of India’s Test team, it made sense to back him in the ODI team.
“Since Yashasvi Jaiswal is an integral part of India’s Test team and was playing this Test (one-off Test against Afghanistan) as well, it just made a lot of sense to keep him only, that he could go to Dharamsala from Chandigarh. It’s a short drive. He won’t get a place in the XI, as Ishan Kishan has to be played at No. 3,” he said.
The former KKR batter said playing matches for India A will be more beneficial for Gaikwad rather than sitting on the bench for the national team.
“When you look at it from that perspective, where Ruturaj has a chance of playing, where he has been selected as a vice-captain, and where he can stake a claim, let him be allowed to play there. I know it’s a slightly difficult one, but if at any time you have to choose between sitting on the sidelines and getting a chance to play, let them play,” Chopra observed.
India will take on Afghanistan in the first ODI on Saturday.
