Former Indian opening batter and analyst Sadagoppan Ramesh has lashed out at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for looking at his personal intentions of breaking into the Indian team rather than aiming for the franchise’s success.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramesh delved into the details of the IPL 2025 season when Gaikwad batted at No.3 with the intention of returning to the Indian ODI side. However, this move didn’t go down well with the former opener, as Ruturaj didn’t prioritise the franchise that signed him for INR 18 Crore.
“Where he disappointed me most was in IPL 2025. That season, he played only five matches but never opened. We never saw the Conway-Gaikwad opening combination. Despite shining as an opener in the IPL, Ruturaj was hell-bent on batting at No.3 that season,” Ramesh said on his YouTube channel.
“The main reason for that was that he decided Shubman Gill’s comeback into the team closed his door. Because of that, he wanted to bat at No.3 to try and get into the Indian team that way, and that badly hurt CSK. You have to first think for the franchise that signed you for 18 crores, especially as a captain,” he added.
“His first priority as captain had to be ensuring he bats in the position that’s most beneficial for CSK. When a franchise has trusted you with captaincy, your mind has to first operate on how to achieve success here,” he observed.
Notably, Ruturaj took over the CSK captaincy ahead of the IPL 2024 season. In the IPL 2025 season, he was ruled out mid-season after fracturing his elbow. He was back as full-time captain in the IPL 2026 season, as CSK finished eighth in the standings with 12 points from 14 matches.
“Having changed the head coach, the next question is whether Ruturaj Gaikwad will be replaced as captain. Forget the numbers, but if you just look at high moments as captain, he has none in my eyes. He has led for more than two seasons, which means he has been given a proper opportunity to shine as captain. But he rarely shone as captain,” Ramesh concluded.
