Ever since the India squad announced for the upcoming ICC World Cup, the analysis, pros and cons are going on, on a regular basis. If someone sees Ambati Rayudu’s exclusion is not right, then someone talks about Dinesh Karthik’s inclusion in the squad in place of Rishabh Pant. However, Ambati Rayudu was a sure shot selection a couple of months ago for his consistent performance. He returned to the India squad after 2 years and nearly cemented his place in the squad. But, he failed to keep his form intact and that led him to his exclusion from the World Cup squad. The national selector, MSK Prasad, said that they chose Vijay Shankar over him because he would be fitted better in that position with his all-round abilities.

However, Ambati Rayudu has not been in a great form in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for Chennai Super Kings. In the meantime, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir thinks that it’s ‘disgusting’ to judge Ambati Rayudu based on his recent IPL form.

“It is disgusting to see that he (Rayudu) is being judged more on his IPL form and less on his overall skill-set. I am not a big fan of statistics as they never tell the whole story,” Gambhir wrote in his column for The Times of India (TOI).

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However, India selected only three fast bowlers in their World Cup squad – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. The decision also surprised the veteran cricketer Gautam Gambhir; who called it quits in December last year. He, however, commented that India are a bit weak on their fast bowling side.

“I must say I am surprised by the fact that we are going in with just three specialist fast bowlers. I tried to visit and then revisit this fact but I have still not been able to get my head around these selections. I have always believed that whatever be the format, it is the batsmen who set up the games and bowlers are the ones who win them. Therefore, I feel we are a little light in the fast-bowling department,” added the former India player.

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India will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on June 5.