Indian cricket team’s head coach Rahul Dravid has backed the duo of Avesh Khan and Ruturaj Gaikwad after they could not impress much in the final T20I of the series against the West Indies cricket team. Both Khan and Gaikwad performed exceptionally well in IPL 2021. While Gaikwad won the Orange Cap, Khan was close to the Purple Cap.
The duo earned a spot in the Indian white-ball team, but they had to sit outside for quite some time before receiving a spot in the playing XI. Captain Rohit Sharma announced at the toss yesterday at Eden Gardens that both Khan and Gaikwad will play in the final T20I.
Sharma selflessly allowed Gaikwad to open the innings alongside Ishan Kishan, but the youngster scored only four runs off eight deliveries. Jason Holder dismissed him caught out after Gaikwad scored one boundary in his first international innings on home soil.
Meanwhile, Avesh Khan opened the bowling with Deepak Chahar and conceded 42 runs off four overs. Despite their disappointing performance, Rahul Dravid supported both youngsters and said that they belong in the Indian team.
“We won’t judge Avesh or Ruturaj based on one game, they are here because they have performed and deserve to here – we will try & give as many games as possible,” said Rahul Dravid.
Rahul Dravid said "We won't judge Avesh or Ruturaj based on one game, they are here because they have performed and deserve to here – we will try & give as many games as possible – sometimes it's difficult to give everyone same number of games but we will be fair to everyone".
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Rahul Dravid confirmed that the team management will be fair to everyone
The competition level for a spot in the Indian cricket team is very high, and many deserving players do not get chances. During the press conference last night, coach Rahul Dravid admitted that it was difficult to give equal opportunities to everyone.
However, he added that the team management will try its level best to give fair chances to every new player in the squad. Since it is a T20 World Cup year, all youngsters will look to impress the team management and selectors to earn the ticket to Australia.
