Ambati Rayudu has been a vital cog in the Team India setup over the last couple of months. Having earned a comeback in the ODI format after nearly two years, Rayudu slammed two half-centuries in the Asia Cup before going a notch ahead in the ongoing series with a century in the last game.
He has been in exceptional form since the Indian Premier League earlier this year and with his continued show with the bat, one would hope he’s done enough to secure a berth for the World Cup next year.
Only, that his form with the bat might end up being a secondary factor. A day before the final ODI against West Indies, here in Thiruvananthapuram, bowling coach Bharat Arun underlined that despite everything, a player will only be eligible for selection if he makes the mark set for the Yo-Yo test. Rayudu has already lost his spot once from the Indian team during the side’s tour to England for the three-match series, earlier this year.
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“Fitness, with the kind of schedule that we have, is an important part of our focus. And the mark that we have kept for people to pass is not every tough. And anyone who is there in the team has to pass the fitness test,” Arun said, before brushing aside criticism mounting on former skipper MS Dhoni, who’s been a notch below with the bat in the ongoing series as also in recent times.
{{/usCountry}}“Fitness, with the kind of schedule that we have, is an important part of our focus. And the mark that we have kept for people to pass is not every tough. And anyone who is there in the team has to pass the fitness test,” Arun said, before brushing aside criticism mounting on former skipper MS Dhoni, who’s been a notch below with the bat in the ongoing series as also in recent times.
{{/usCountry}}“His (Dhoni’s) striking ability is for everyone to see. He has done it many a times before. He is extremely experienced and I’m sure given the opportunities, he will come good.”
A medium-pacer in his playing days, Arun also lauded the side’s pace battery stating that having a strong reserve bench has only helped in shuffling with the workload of the players.
“When we started off, the onus was not only on creating a force to reckon with pace bowling unit for the Indian team we also we needed a very good bench strength. To sustain fast bowling over a long period of time, you need to rotate these fast bowlers,” he said.
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“India plays at least 60% more cricket than the rest of the world, and the workload has to be managed. We have a very good fast bowling quartet. And also, the bench strength is very exciting. Khaleel looks a very exciting prospect. He is sharp and has the skills to do well in international cricket.”