World Cup 2019: 5 Reasons why dropping Ambati Rayudu was a right decision

Billions of cricketing fans walk into the field, with an ambition of representing India at the WC. Only a few will be able to fulfil the dream. What disappoints the most is when you remain just a single step behind the goal.

Two players who had this heartbreak are Ambati Rayadu and Rishabh Pant. While Pant is hailed as the next big thing in the Indian cricket, Rayadu seems to have missed a chance of playing his last WC. Vijay Shankar, who has seen a leap in the past 1 year, was selected as India’s no. 4. However, this is not a surprise, as The all-rounder had performed far better. Let us take a look at a few reasons which justify Rayadu’s omission from the team a correct decision:

1. Recent Form

Since his arrival in the team, Vijay Shankar emerged to be an asset and the toughest competitor for Ambati Rayadu. And his poor run of form further contributed to worsening the matters. He had a nightmarish outing against Australia, due to which he had to be dropped from the squad for the final ODI. He followed it by another so-so performance against New Zealand.

And finally, the home series against Australia shattered his dreams of making into the WC squad. He could score only 33 in the 3 matches, whereas Vijay Shankar was phenomenal. After the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli had said that he would be final no. 4 for India, but the series of these events forced him to change his opinion.

2. Strike Rate issue in high scoring games

This is another factor which didn’t favour the right-handed batsman and made him falter in the race to seal no. 4 spot. We have often seen him as an innings builder, but he still needs to work on developing his strike-rate. For a better strike-rate it is important to play aggressive cricket. In England, generally the matches will be high scoring due to the flat pitches. A player who is much aggressive can win the spot. Finally, the selectors saw a match for No.4 spot in Vijay as he plays much faster.

However, Rayadu has failed to do so. He has a strike rate of just 79 in ODI cricket, which is not very impressive. On the other hand, Vijay can play the multiple roles of innings-builder and he tries to keep the scoreboard ticking. This gave him a further advantage over struggling Rayadu.

3. Troubles against the pace

Since he is back in the team, Rayadu has neither played in England nor been tested on the swinging pitches. In the ongoing Indian Premier League, The Hyderabad batsman is facing a tough time to play the bounce. It was fair to question. How can a player with so many chinks in his armour fit into the squad?

Swing is a usual experience in English pitches. And Rayadu has never played in such conditions. But both Vijay and Rayudu are on the same boat in this because not only Rayudu also Vijay haven’t played in such conditions. But The all-rounder’s technique gives a slight advantage here as well. Rayadu’s lack of footwork and head drop while playing shots make him vulnerable to swing while Shankar has the perfect technique to counter it.

4. Poor fielding performance

When a player is representing a country at a showpiece event like the World Cup, his fitness and fielding matter a lot, and the ageing Rayadu is not as fit as he was before. He had even failed in the yo-yo test for a couple of ODI series last year, which had delayed his inclusion in the team.

On the contrary, all the other players, including Shankar, are fantastic fielders. All of them can be kept in the infield/ outfield as per the requirements of the team. When the most number of World Cup matches have been decided by a margin on 10-15 runs, you can’t afford to leave any catch or give any run through misfield. It has the case with Rayudu that he is a bit lethargic on field while Vijay being a new face in the international circuits is much focused and careful when he is fielding as well.

5. Can’t be used at different positions as per the team’s requirement

Another setback for Rayadu is that he can’t be used as a floater. He has to be sent in the top-order as he becomes ineffective if he bats down the order. This is because he is not a god power-hitter and if the order changes there is a chance of being the middle-order in doldrums because he can’t handle the pressure in the slog overs and take the match to modest score or win for the team.

Well, Vijay is the player, who can be utilized at any spot as per the needs of the team. He is much aggressive on the field as well as a handy finisher. This flexibility gives much support and depth to the team.

~Written by Ayuj Aryan