IND vs NZ 2026: ‘Gaikwad should have been there in place of Reddy’ - Sadagoppan Ramesh dissects Indian ODI team selection

Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh believes Ruturaj Gaikwad should have been included in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy for the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. Gaikwad had scored a brilliant 105 in his last innings for India in the second ODI against South Africa.

However, he was left out of the squad for the New Zealand series due to the return of Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill. Despite Washington Sundar suffering an injury in the opening ODI, India opted to replace him with batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni for the remainder of the series.

"Ruturaj Gaikwad should have been there in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy. Because Nitish was likely not going to play at all, and he only did because of Washington Sundar's injury. There was also a question if he would get utilised fully even if he played. And along expected lines, he bowled just two overs and came at the end to score a 20,” said Ramesh on Instagram.

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Ramesh believes that India’s batting collapses in both ODIs against New Zealand have been largely overlooked. In the opening ODI, despite posting 234/2, India slumped to 242/5, with KL Rahul rescuing the innings with an unbeaten 29 off 21 balls to seal the win. A similar collapse occurred in the second ODI, as the hosts fell from 99/1 to 118/4 before Rahul once again steadied the ship with an unbeaten 112 off 92 balls.

"At least now, instead of bringing in an Ayush Badoni out of nowhere, India could have kept Ruturaj Gaikwad. Because the last two matches, even the last match, once Kohli got out, there was a collapse. Only KL Rahul saved India on both occasions. So, it's being overlooked how much the Indian batting is collapsing in this series," said Ramesh.

With the series now heading to a decider, India will aim to turn their fortunes around and clinch the series 2-1. The third and final ODI is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.