“What if Dhoni would not have got run out and we had won the World Cup?” - Sreesanth disagrees with Gambhir over 2019 WC squad selection
Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth recently disagreed with Gautam Gambhir’s views that the 2019 World Cup selection committee led by MSK Prasad was the worst in the history of Indian cricket. According to Sreesanth, such questions would not have been raised if India had gone on to win the ICC event.
Speaking to Star Sports recently, Gambhir launched a scathing attack on the selection committee led by Prasad, which picked the squad for the 2019 World Cup in England. He was particularly critical of the selectors’ decision to not pick Ambati Rayudu in the 15 even though the No. 4 batter was the primary concern of the team.
Sreesanth told Sportskeeda that, according to him, the best possible squad was chosen for the 2019 World Cup.
“Everyone has different thoughts," Sreesanth said. "According to me, India’s 2019 World Cup squad was brilliant. The best players featured in the XI and the best 15 were selected. I know ifs and buts don’t matter, but what if Dhoni would not have got run out and we had won the World Cup?
"In my opinion, the 2019 World Cup squad was India’s best team at that point. All the players who featured in that tournament deserved to be there."
“Similarly, the team that played in the 2015 World Cup was also the best team then. The best players who performed in tournaments from 2011 to 2015 were selected,” the former cricketer added.
India had an impressive run in the 2019 World Cup until the semi-final against New Zealand, where their batting crumbled and they ended up losing by 18 runs.
“I don’t think India missed Rayudu” - Sreesanth
While the axing of Rayudu from the 2019 World Cup squad snowballed into a major controversy, Sreesanth doesn’t believe that the former's absence made too much of a difference. He also opined that the batter had been given enough chances to stake his claim ahead of the mega tournament.
“I don’t think India missed Rayudu. He got opportunities for his performance. T20 and 50-over cricket is very different. You can get selected in one-dayers on the basis of your performance in T20s. You need to look at the first-class record of the player and record while playing for India. When you consistently perform in first-class, that’s when you will get your chances,” the 40-year-old commented.
“It’s difficult, rather impossible, to play the ODI World Cup for India on the basis of only IPL performances,” Sreesanth concluded.
Rayudu played 55 ODIs for India, scoring 1694 runs at an average of 47.05, with three hundreds and 10 fifties.