Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, on Friday, expressed his concern over the batting form of opener Shikhar Dhawan and No.4 Ambati Rayudu as ICC World Cup 2019 beckons. Aakash’s comment came moments after India’s poor 32-runs defeat to Australia in the third ODI of the five-match series at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi where the aforementioned batsmen scored a single-digit number.
While Dhawan scored one run off 10 deliveries, Rayudu managed to runs off eight balls before being outclassed by Pat Cummins. The quick dismissals at the start of India’s innings dented their hope of a chase to the target of 314 runs set by Australia in Ranchi.
After the match, Aakash took to Twitter to write: “Shikhar and Rayudu’s form is becoming a bit of a concern….it can’t be Kohli v Australia. #IndvAus”
Dhawan’s form has been a major concern for the Indian thinktank ahead of World Cup 2019. He has managed two ducks and two fifties in 2019 so far where he amassed 265 runs only in 11 innings in ODI cricket at an average of 26.50. On the other hand, Rayudu has managed 247 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.87 with his heroic 90 against New Zealand the only big score that can be highlighted in his updated resume’.
Despite the numbers, India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar has backed the left-handed opener as being a vital cog at the top of the order. “In the previous game, he (Dhawan) was batting really well till he erred in shot selection. But from our point of view, he has been an important player, said Bangar after the third ODI match in Ranchi.
