'Even If Shreyas Iyer Comes Back....': R. Ashwin Advocates For Indian Youngster To Get Longer Run In One Day Internationals

Despite mounting over 350 runs in the second ODI of the IND vs SA series, India failed to win the Raipur game. Both the teams have won one match each, and the series decider will now be played at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. India recently lost the Test series against South Africa by a margin of 2-0, and they'll look to avoid similar kind of a result in the ODI series too.

India are not only without the services of their regular skipper Shubman Gill, but they are also playing without their regular number four, their vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. In the ongoing ODI series, India included Ruturaj Gaikwad to play on Iyer's number, and he hasn't been anything less than exceptional.

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Ravichandran Ashwin Endorses Ruturaj Gaikwad The ODI Player

Ruturaj Gaikwad went through some real hand grind in the Raipur ODI and ended up scoring 105 runs from 83 balls. The innings also consisted of 12 fours and 2 sixes. Gaikwad also went on to stitch a 195-run partnership with Virat Kohli and helped India breach the 350-run mark for the second consecutive time.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, former India player Ravichandran Ashwin said that Ruturaj Gaikwad should be given a long rope considering his recent performances at the domestic and the international level.

"Even if Shreyas Iyer comes back, you can still accommodate Ruturaj. He can play seamers well. The only way to get him out is if the ball swings initially. A player with such a pedigree like Ruturaj must be given a long run. Would you want to push Ruturaj up the order, or even Virat can do that, batting up the order. He has every shot in the book," said Ravichandran Ashwin.

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Visakhapatnam Hosts Series Decider

The pitch in Vizag is often known for being batting-friendly, and the teams might try and go for a good total. With the series on the line, both India and South Africa will want to end the ODI series on a high.