ICC World Cup 2019 | Roger Binny bats for Rishabh Pant’s inclusion as Kedar Jadhav replacement
Former India all-rounder Roger Binny revealed that he would prefer to add Rishabh Pant as part of the Indian World Cup squad in case Kedar Jadhav is ruled out of the competition due to injury. Binny added that international teams won’t benefit from playing many warm-up games ahead of the World Cup.
The Indian cricket team will travel to England & Wales later this month to enter the final stages of preparation before the start of this year’s ICC ODI World Cup on May 30. Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India will definitely be considered as one of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy along with the hosts’ England. However, there are a few concerns in the Indian squad ahead of the start of the tournament.
The most evident issue that Kohli & Co. face is the fitness of Chennai Super Kings all-rounder - Kedar Jadhav. The cricketer sustained a shoulder injury during an IPL match but is under constant supervision of the Indian support staff. Former India all-rounder Roger Binny is of the opinion that Pant should be the BCCI selection committee’s first-choice to travel to England in case Jadhav is declared unfit to play.
"The Indian team goes into the World Cup after what has been a long season. The good thing is that they have been playing some sort of cricket. Now the fact is that it may be construed as being too much at times, but that's the way modern day cricket is. The challenge is to keep themselves fresh for the World Cup. One good thing is that the bowlers can be relaxed in the one-day game, unlike in a T20 format when a batsman is trying to knock you out from the very first ball. We had the Aussies before the IPL, so in a sense it has been a long drawn out season. It is time for the Indian squad to regroup and most importantly aim to be match fit.
"Fitness, as I say, is the key to India's chances. I have noted that Kedar Jadhav is under a bit of a cloud. If he doesn't get fit, I would go for Rishabh Pant. He is one of those players who can tear any bowling apart and win you games. Pant can change the course of a game in ten overs or half an hour. You need someone like him if you want to win major titles. He may come across as being immature in shot selection at times. But how does one learn? Only by playing more, earning your place in the team. He is a long-term investment," Binny wrote in his column for TOI.
Binny, who played 27 Tests and 72 ODIs for India, further added that playing too many warm-up matches ahead of this month’s World Cup won’t necessarily benefit the international teams.
"I have been following most other sides. A lot of them are playing a lot of one-day cricket in the lead-up. In fact Pakistan is playing some 11 games in England before the World Cup. I don't think it is an advantage for anyone. If you are looking at a Test series, then you can look to go there well in advance, because English conditions are different. There can be swing and some movement off the tracks in Test matches. But in ODIs and T20 cricket hardly any technique is involved.
"Most times you will have flat pitches and even if the ball is seaming, you have to whack the ball because the time is short! So acclimatisation in theory is fine for Test cricket but not for the white ball format. India won't take time to acclimatise themselves unlike a Pakistan because Sarfaraz Ahmed's side are coming off a poor recent run," Binny added.
