World Cup 2019: 5 Players who can replace Kedar Jadhav if ruled out of the tournament

India recently announced the squad for the World Cup, and we all witnessed a few surprises in the team. Some big names like Ambati Rayadu and Rishabh Pant were not in the team sheet, instead, we saw the inclusion of young Vijay Shankar and Dinesh Karthik coming in as the second wicket-keeper.

In CSK’s final league game, Kedar Jadhav dived to save a boundary but instead ended up getting injured. Jadhav has always been an injury-prone player and has missed many games due to this. This time, he has injured his shoulder and has been ruled out of rest of the IPL tournament. The Chennai Super Kings will face some issues due to this, now they will have to find a perfect player, who can replace the 34-year-old. The bigger worry is that Team India might miss him in the ICC mega event if the injury is serious.

Now let us take a look at 5 Players who can replace Kedar Jadhav if ruled out of the World Cup:

1. Ambati Rayudu

The 33-year-old, batsman have not done well in this IPL. He has only scored a total of 219 runs with an average of below 20, which is really disappointing for a capped player like him. His strike-rate is also surprisingly quite low, only 90.49. All these stats show us his current form, but he came into the IPL with some good performances for Team India. He has done really well at the number four position and everyone believed that he would be the answer to the long-awaited question of India’s number four.

At the international level, Ambati Rayadu is quite experienced, breaking into the Indian team in 2013 and was in and out of the squad due to his form. Then he seemed to have cemented his place for the World Cup with some brilliant performances. He has an average of above 47 in ODIs, with three centuries and four half-centuries to his name. He has also been named as one of the reserves for Team India’s World Cup squad and will surely be in the selector’s mind as Jadhav’s replacement.

2. Rishabh Pant

This young lad has been a revelation. He can clear the boundary ropes with such ease. We all have seen him playing some destructive cricket, hitting the ball of the park quite easily. He has proven his worth in the IPL, by getting a lot of runs for his franchise, Delhi Capitals. Last year, he was the second highest run-getter of the tournament just behind Kane Williamson, with 684 runs.

Pant has played flourishingly for India at the Test format but, has been inconsistent in the limited overs. His average in Tests is around fifty, meanwhile, just half of that in the ODIs. He is another player who has been named as the backup for India in the World Cup, just like Rayudu. His hard-hitting ability and being the fan favorite will make the selectors to try him out.

​3. Shreyas Iyer

The captain of Delhi Capitals is another player who could come as Jadhav’s replacement. He has showcased his calmness in the pitch and has guided his team to the playoffs this season, after six long years. Iyer has taken a total of 442 runs in this IPL season, with an average of 34 and a strike-rate of around 125. He is Delhi Capitals’ second highest run scorer this year after India’s star opener Shikhar Dhawan.

Shreyas Iyer made his debut for India in 2017 against Sri Lanka. He seems to be a good prospect for India. In the six ODI matches he has played for India, Iyer has scored 210 runs, averaging 42.

​4. Manish Pandey

A name many thought would rise up at the charts was Manish Pandey. He has played many great innings for his IPL teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and his current team, Sunrisers Hyderabad. He did not have a good outing last year and it looked the same this year too. Later on, after a few matches, Pandey came into his grove and started playing the way he usually does and scored three back-to-back half-centuries. A total of 314 runs were scored by him with an average of 44.

Manish Pandey came into the Indian team in 2015. He was never a consistent performer and was mostly on the bench. He has scored one century and two half-centuries in the 23 ODIs he has played. His current form will be something the selectors look into and it would be a great bonus if he could replicate it in the World Cup.

​5. Shubman Gill

This 19-year-old is just a raw talent. Many saw him first when he played for India in the U19 World Cup. Soon after that, he got an IPL contract. Currently, he plays for Kolkata Knight Riders and his batting position for them has always been uncertain. He has batted in different situations and has done a pretty commendable job. This young superstar is often compared with Virat Kohli and seems to be one of kind. He has taken 296 runs, with an average of 32 this time around.

Shubman Gill is very lucky to make his debut for India at such a young age. He made his debut in January 2019 against New Zealand. He has played two ODIs at the international level. Even though he is inexperienced, selectors might try him out since he is fresh and will look to impress one and all.

~ Written by Jerin Varghese M