I would still pick Ajinkya Rahane ahead of Ambati Rayudu, says Sourav Ganguly
Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was a bit surprised with the selectorsâ decision to exclude Ajinkya Rahane from the ODI series against England, stating that he would still pick Rahane over Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu and Shreyas Iyer have been included in the ODI squad for the England series.
Ajinkya Rahane, who has the experience of playing in the English conditions, was shockingly ignored by BCCI selectors for Indiaâs upcoming ODI series against England. Ambati Rayudu, who is currently the Orange Cap holder in the ongoing Indian Premier League, was recalled to India's ODI squad ahead of him. This has surprised Sourav Ganguly, who stated that Rahane would have been a good choice given his proven track record in England and said that he would pick Rahane over Rayudu for the English conditions.Â
"Ajinkya Rahane has missed out on the limited-overs squad. A harsh decision. I would still pick Ajinkya Rahane ahead of Ambati Rayudu. Ajinkya Rahane is a far superior player in England where the ball is going to move. He has got a good record in England," Ganguly said in an interview with India Today.
Rahane, who was part of the ODI series against South Africa, played a crucial 140 runs in five innings at an average of 35. However, his run in the IPL has been terrible managing just 239 runs in 10 games, whereas Rayudu has been fantastic with 423 runs in the same number of matches.
Ganguly, however, praised selectorsâ decision to pick Shreyas Iyer for the ODI series against England but felt that he should also have been included in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan as well. Karun Nair was called in as the replacement for Virat Kohli, who wonât be available due to county commitments for Surrey in the month of June.
"Shreyas Iyer is in the England ODI side which is a good decision. Karun Nair (in the Test squad vs Afghanistan) is a bit of a surprise. I am surprised that Shreyas Iyer has not been picked for the one-off Test considering he's been brilliant for Delhi in the IPL," Ganguly said.
Apart from Nair, Siddharth Kaul has also been given a call to the ODI squad, given his impressive run in the IPL for SRH. The three-match ODI series starts at Trent Bridge on July 12. The second ODI will be played at Lord's on July 14 while the third ODI at Headingley on July 17.
India has been in brilliant form in ODIs in the recent past, winning seven successive bilateral ODI series, which is a testament to their dominance in ODI cricket. India created history in South Africa by winning their first ever bilateral series and would be hoping they continue their dominance in the same fashion against England as well.
