Ambati Rayudu for number four in World Cup if Kedar Jadhav fails to recover, says Syed Kirmani
Syed Kirmani has stated that he would prefer Ambati Rayudu over Vijay Shankar for the number four spot in the World Cup if the injured Kedar Jadhav fails to recover on time. The Indian team had persisted with Rayudu for a while but Shankar made the cut for the flight to the United Kingdom.
Ambati Rayudu had made his return to the Indian side in the Asia Cup last September and was more or less a certainty for the number four spot in the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales. He even struck a 47 and a 90-run innings, apart from two unbeaten knocks of 13 and 40, in New Zealand but three failures against Australia at home saw him being dropped from the playing XI. All-rounder Vijay Shankar had a decent run and he even struck a quickfire 46 while picking two wickets in the second ODI against Australia. He edged Rayudu, who is named as one of the reserves, in the World Cup squad.
Kedar Jadhav, on the other hand, injured his shoulder while fielding for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. This has opened up chances for the Hyderabad batsman and former India player Syed Kirmani feels Rayudu would be a better choice over the Tamil Nadu all-rounder for number four.
“Just one thing that would have been different in my squad would have been the choice of Rayudu ahead of Vijay Shankar. I would not play Shankar at number four in the World Cup. My choice for that spot would be Jadhav if he is fit and if he is not it has to be Rayudu,” he wrote, reported TOI.
Jadhav has put up good performances with the bat and also doubles up as a part-time spinner. Kirmani reckoned that it would be sad to see him miss out due to an injury.
“The flipside of the IPL has been the possibility of Kedar Jadhav missing out because of an injury. It would indeed be a sad moment if Jadhav would miss out. He has been an asset in the last two years in the 50-over format. If Jadhav does not make it, then I would pick Ambati Rayudu,” he asserted.
Rishabh Pant was given a chance only in the final two ODIs against Australia to audition for the quadrennial event. Two innings of 36 and 16 meant that the 21-year-old failed to find a place in the 15-man squad and was only named as a reserve, but Kirmani reckoned that the Delhi lad is still a work in progress.
“There has been a lot of talk about whether India should have picked Rishabh Pant in the first place. I believe Pant has a long way to go. He is a bundle of gifted talent in abundance. He has to mature with experience and learn a lot. He needs to learn how to finish, how to save, and how to win. This will come with experience and he will grow as a player in time to come,” he explained.
Teams around the world have been playing in ODI series whereas the Indian players were plying their trade in the IPL. They have been a two-week window to rest before the first warm-up match against New Zealand on May 25. The former wicket-keeper felt that lack of one-dayers will not be much of a problem for the second-ranked side.
“India has possibly the best squad going into the World Cup in many attempts. There has been some worry about whether they are playing too much T20 cricket for their own good going into a 50-over tournament,” the 69-year-old said.
“I think India has enough experience in the squad to change gears. I can see that almost all the other sides are busy playing ODI cricket in some form or the other while India is going to go in cold for the tournament. But I think India will have no disadvantage going into the tournament, because they have all-round strength. They have to remain positive and believe in their abilities,” he signed off.
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