'Don't know why Nitish Reddy was picked over Ruturaj Gaikwad' - Former batter slams India's team selection for New Zealand ODIs

Former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath did not mince his words while speaking to the inclusion of Nitish Kumar Reddy in India's ODI squad of their white-ball series against New Zealand. Badrinath opined that the in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad could have easily been slotted in place of Reddy, highlighting that the Men in Blue already had two all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

"Along with the two all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy is there in the squad. I have no idea why he's there in the side. They say he's an all-rounder but with the ball, he is getting smashed everywhere. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been hard done by. Why is he not there in the team and why is Nitish Kumar Reddy in the team? The only concern is the selection of Nitish Kumar Reddy over Ruturaj Gaikwad," shared Badrinath in a video on his YouTube channel.

The erstwhile middle-order underscored Gaikwad's recent form in List A cricket and his overall record in the format to emphasise his disappointment over his exclusion.

"They sent him at No. 4 against South Africa because there wasn't a spot at the top and he responded with a hundred. Following that, he's smashing runs for fun in List A cricket at every opportunity. He has two centuries and a half-century in six innings with an overall List A average of over 57 with 5,000 runs. No one has such a record," he added.

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Gaikwad, who scored a century in the second ODI of the series against South Africa, is currently representing Maharashtra in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. His scores read 38*, 28, 124 and 66 as of now.

India will commence the white-ball seriesagainst New Zealand on January 11. The ODIs will be played in Vadodara, Rajkot and Indore. The three 50-over matches will be followed by five T20Is, which will be played from January 21.