ICC World Cup 2019 | No need to be too negative, Vijay Shankar will do well, says Sourav Ganguly

The international teams have released their 15-man squads for the upcoming ICC World Cup starting from May 30. The Indian board has also released their possible 15 who are hopeful to compete in the prestigious tournament. 

Eyebrows were raised when all-rounder Vijay Shankar’s name came on the list. It was expected that Ambati Rayadu would make it into the team but the selectors insisted on the "three-dimensional" skills of the Tamil Nadu player. Former India Captain Sourav Ganguly, on addressing this, said that there is no point in being negative about him and the all-rounder is hopeful to do well in the World Cup.   

“Vijay Shankar will do well. He is a good young cricketer. His bowling will come handy. Let’s not be too negative about him. He has got a place because he has played in Australia and New Zealand and done well,” Ganguly said, reported PTI.

It was also expected that wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant’s name would be billed in the 15-man squad but the selectors saw Dinesh Karthik as an alternative. Ganguly said that Pant should not get depressed about his non-selection. It is notable that Pant has scored 343 runs in this IPL season.

“Yes, Pant also could have been part of this side but he need not worry. He has many more years. He is just 20, he will play a few World Cups,” he said.

Kuldeep Yadav is in a poor form this IPL season by picking only four wickets in nine matches played and was taken out from the team for his bad form. Ganguly has said that it is not the best thing to judge a bowler’s performance in ODIs by considering his performance in T20.

“On the Edens Gardens pitch, nobody bowls well. You only see scores of 220 and 230. Just see the number of runs that have been scored. Kuldeep is a huge talent, sometimes we judge bowlers on the basis of T20 cricket which is not the best thing to do, especially with spinners. He will come back well,” the former India captain added.

The Bengal cricketer is delighted seeing Delhi Capitals' performance this IPL season. He credited the players for their efforts to place the team at the top spot of the points table.

“I think everybody has played well, that’s why you get there. Shikhar has been outstanding. Rishabh Pant whenever he has got away from Delhi on good pitches, hard pitches where there is carry, he has been exceptional with the bat. Shreyas Iyer has been exceptional as a young captain and taken the responsibility and taken the team forward. He has been brilliant with the bat under pressure. Axar Patel, Rabada has been superb.

“Ishant Sharma has been a revelation. A lot of people felt he was a Test match bowler but to come up and do well in T20s at this stage of the career shows you can turn it on any time you want. There is nobody called test bowler, one day bowler or T20 bowler. It just how you adapt and make a difference to your own game.” Delhi capitals advisor said.