Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has backed Ambati Rayudu to be part of the World Cup squad and come good in the showpiece event. He scored 90 runs in the final ODI against New Zealand. It was his knock that guided Men in Blue to fighting total. Rayudu shared a 98-run partnership with Vijay Shankar for the fifth wicket and added 74 runs with Kedar Jadhav for the 6th wicket. The right hand batsman was declared Man of the Match for his match winning innings.
“Rayudu played well. He fizzled out in the middle but has played well overall and I think he will go to the WC and he will play in India after this and he will score runs and go to the WC. This is a settled team and the 14-15 core of the team is settled and I hope all these players are fit come the World Cup and this team will be a strong team,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by India TV.
Ganguly also lauded Hardik Pandya, whose blistering knock in the end proved to be the difference between the two sides.
“He (Pandya) showed great mental strength. With time, everything cools off and his approach to the match was also quite better. He adds to the strength of the team,” Ganguly said.
“It’s been a better performance than Australia. It has been complete domination and it’s good to see them dominate at home and away as well. The confidence has been great and it’s quite impressive to see the bowlers get them out in 50 overs. It’s been a great year for India in ODIs,’ he added.