Ambati Rayadu has sealed his World Cup squad, reckons VVS Laxman

While India has done exceedingly well in ODIs in the last couple of years or so, the conundrum over the number four spot has not quite come to an end. The problem started after Yuvraj Singh was dropped following the tour of Windies in 2017 and since then the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, KL Rahul as well as Hardik Pandya were tried out but without much success. The latest to enter the roulette is Ambati Rayudu.

A stunning performance in the last Indian Premier League helped Rayudu return to the ODI side after a two-year gap. He hit the ground running by impressing in the Asia Cup. A century in the following series against Windies further bolstered his reputation. However, his inconsistent performances in Australia and New Zealand was a worrying sign. The 90-run knock in the fifth ODI against New Zealand helped him to end the tour on a high but there is little denying that Rayudu did not quite live up to the expectations.

Ravi Shastri’s comments regarding skipper Virat Kohli’s position in the upcoming World Cup then further made it clear that the team management is not fully impressed with Rayudu. Shastri had said that Kohli could bat at number four in the World Cup. However, former India batsman VVS Laxman feels Rayudu has sealed his spot for the World Cup and is the right man for the job at number 4.

“Rayadu has been performing really well recently. He made his presence felt with a quality knock of 90 in the last ODI against New Zealand, with the knock emerging as a matchwinning one. Rayadu has sealed the position,” Laxman said at the WION Global Summit in Dubai.

Rayudu, meanwhile, has retained his spot in the team for the upcoming series against Australia and is likely to be a part of the World Cup squad.

Playing eleven sorted

The legendary batsman further said that India’s playing eleven is settled for the World Cup. He said that MS Dhoni should bat at number five followed by Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya.

“In my opinion, MSD should play at the No 5 position as he can anchor the innings well and finishes the game off as well. There is enough depth in the lineup with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav available as well. I believe that the playing 11 is sorted out,” he said.

The World Cup will start on May 30 while India will start their campaign on June 5 against South Africa.

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