Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa reckons Ruturaj Gaikwad must have undergone mental strain after he was left out of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. Gaikwad scored an impressive knock of 105 runs off just 83 balls in the second ODI against South Africa.
However, the right-hander was left out of the squad against the Kiwis as Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill made their comebacks. Iyer was able to prove his match fitness after he scored 82 runs off just 53 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Himachal Pradesh.
Robin Uthappa said on his YouTube Channel, “Buddy, it’s very hard to process. You have to make it make sense, right? It takes a toll, and you need to almost kind of find silver linings to kind of lean back on. In these circumstances, it’s not the easiest thing to do. It’s hectic, and you’ve to find a way to see silver linings. One of the challenges with Indian cricket is that you’re constantly operating on survival mode. And to switch from that mindset, it takes immense amount of resilience, immense amount of self-talk and positive self-talk, and you’ve to be able to be a silver linings guy.”
Uthappa added that players have to keep on proving themselves if they don’t come from states such as Mumbai, Delhi and Punjab.
“And you’ve to find a way to keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting, especially if you don’t come from one of three big states in India, which is Mumbai, Delhi, and Punjab. If you’re not from one of those states, then you’ve to keep pushing yourself, pushing yourself.”
On the other hand, former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin urged Ruturaj Gaikwad to never give up and keep working hard.
He wrote on X, “No matter how you feel. Get up, dress up, pad up, show up, and never give up. It can be hard to miss, but such is the competition for places in the Indian team.”
Gaikwad has scored 279 runs in six matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at an average of 55.8.
