Sourav Ganguly excludes Ravindra Jadeja from his World Cup 2019 squad
Sourav Ganguly is of the opinion that Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t fit into the scheme of things for the Indian team and should not be a part of the 15-man squad. The former skipper lauded the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami and stated that the pacers will play a crucial role for India.
After the recent performance of Vijay Shankar, many former cricketers and cricket experts believe that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder can now travel to England for the upcoming World Cup. With Hardik Pandya being the first-choice as an all-rounder for the team management, it might be Ravindra Jadeja who will have to sacrifice his position in the squad.
Ganguly has implied that Shankar deserves a chance in the World Cup squad and there is no way Jadeja can be in the team for the prestigious event.
"Ravindra Jadeja should not be in the World Cup team. Vijay Shankar bowled beautifully in the Nagpur match. I think Vijay deserves his World Cup spot," Ganguly told PTI.
Meanwhile, after some commendable bowling performances recently, the Indian pacers are drawing praises from many. The former skipper is new to join that list as he lauded the efforts of Bumrah and Shami for their match-winning performances in the two ODIs. Shami had a fantastic outing in the Hyderabad ODI while it was Bumrah’s death-over bowling that helped India to register a win in Nagpur.
"The Indian pace attack is fantastic. Whether its Bumrah or Shami, the Indian pacers are performing consistently. The pacers will play an important factor for the team in England," said Ganguly.
The left-hander also advocated in
"Dhoni can continue after the World Cup. If India wins the Cup and Dhoni performs consistently then why should he
"The opening combination should not be tweaked. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are the ideal pair to give India a fast start. But K L Rahul is also there. Shikhar and Rohit should open. Other than the two, Rahul is another batsman who can open. Virat should bat in is usual number 3 slot. Rayudu at 4, Dhoni at 5 and Kedar at number 6."
When asked about India’s chances in the World Cup, Ganguly replied, "India
"Australia may be going through a rough patch. But there is no doubt that the return of Smith and Warner will change the entire complexion of the team and with Maxwell already there, they will be a totally different outfit," he said.
Sourav Ganguly’s World Cup squad - Rohit sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, K L Rahul, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav.