Discarded Indian batter Hanuma Vihari has reckoned that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad would be the perfect fit for the No.4 spot in the absence of Shreyas Iyer for the forthcoming home ODI series against the West Indies.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari asserted that there is no second thought on who should take Iyer’s spot in the ODI team. For the unversed, the CSK star last played an ODI against South Africa at home in 2025, scoring a century at No.4.
“I feel Ruturaj Gaikwad should get an opportunity at number four. If there is anyone who should take Shreyas Iyer’s place in that middle order, it should be Gaikwad. There should be no second thought. If you remember the South Africa series, he scored a century. Even Jaiswal has scored runs, but if you talk about the middle order, Gaikwad should definitely get a chance at number four,” Vihari said on his YouTube channel.
Further, Vihari shared his views on the return of the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who last played an ODI during the home series against New Zealand earlier this year in January. Vihari stated that Jadeja would be a better option than Axar Patel when it comes to the 50-over format.
“I am so happy to see Jadeja back in the ODI setup. I feel he still has it in him. If you compare Axar and Jadeja, I don’t know who is a better player as a package, but I feel Jadeja in the 50-over format is still your go-to man, even for the World Cup. In T20 cricket, Axar is slightly better. But in ODI cricket, where you have some time, be it in batting or bowling, Jadeja is a better package than Axar,” he added.
India’s ODI team vs WI: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.
