“You have 6 lefties in the 11th”

Former India spinner Aakash Chopra opined that Ruturaj Gaikwad should replace Shubman Gill in the playing XI if the latter is not available for the second Test against South Africa. He highlighted that Sai Sudharsen and Devdutt Padikkal, the two batsmen who missed the first Test, are both left-handed, with six southpaws in the XI.

The second Test between India and South Africa is scheduled to begin in Guwahati on Saturday, November 22. Gill, who retired after playing just three deliveries in the first innings and did not bat in the second innings in India’s 30-run loss in the first Test in Kolkata, may not be available for the game.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former India opener questioned why Gaikwad cannot be drafted into the playing XI from outside the squad if Gill is ruled out of the second Test.

“Should Ruturaj Gaikwad be selected in the Test team? You might be wondering how he can be selected as the team has already been selected, and no one is out. There is still no clarity on Shubman Gill’s participation. He has been discharged from hospital, but there is still a question mark over his participation,” the former India opener said. (1:15)

“If he is not available, you will have to play someone. You have Sai Sudarsan and Devdutt Padikkal sitting out there – two more left-handers. You have six left-handers in the playing XI at the moment. Do you want to play with seven left-handers? Maybe you want to change that,” he added.

Aakash Chopra highlighted that bowler Simon Harmer is a big threat in South Africa’s bowling attack. He opined that India should seriously consider playing right-hander Ruturaj Gaikwad instead of adding another left-handed player in such a scenario.

“He is in perfect condition” – Aakash Chopra on Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the 2nd Test of IND vs SA 2025

In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Ruturaj Gaikwad is in excellent form, wondering why the Maharashtra batsman was not being considered for India A in the red-ball format.

“He is in excellent form. He is scoring runs for India A in white-ball cricket. I don’t know why he doesn’t play on days when India A plays, but wherever he plays, be it Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy, he scores runs,” he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Gaikwad is a middle-order player in the longest format and had also scored an unbeaten 123 against Australia in a T20I in Guwahati two years ago.

“He’s even batting in the middle order. He looks technically squeezed. It looks as if he was forced to play Tests, and this is the same ground where he scored the 20th century against Australia. So I’m building a case for him that if there’s any chance of Shubman Gill not playing, parachute him in and bring him in,” Chopra observed.

In conclusion, Aakash Chopra noted that he is not thinking about Sarfaraz Khan as the Mumbai striker has not been in good form recently. On the other hand, he noted that Ruturaj Gaikwad is ready and can be included in the team, highlighting that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.