Former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed his concerns over the current Indian middle-order, especially in limited-overs cricket. Stating that in the absence of Virat Kohli, the Indian batting line-up looks vulnerable, Ganguly called for the inclusion of KL Rahul in the playing XI. Dada also asserted that India needs to do away with non-regulars like Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu and back the likes of Rahul and Rishabh Pant.

During a show on India TV, Ganguly said, “The one thing that scares me a bit is that the World cup is not far away while the Indian batting sans Kohli looks vulnerable. Dinesh Karthik’s career is on the wane, MS is not in his prime anymore, Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu are making comebacks. So if you are playing four such batsmen who are not settled in this format and not a certainty in the team then it looks like the selectors are compromising with quality in the team. So the mindset needs to change.”

ALSO READ: Ganguly Reckons Rishabh Pant Is Ready For ODIs

Dada felt that with all due respect to all other players in the squad, the Indian team management should’ve considered Rahul instead of Karthik. In England, everyone saw that Karthik couldn’t score runs and if Team India is looking to build a strong team ahead of the World Cup, Rahul and Rishabh Pant’s name should come before Karthik’s.

However, unlike Rahul, Pant is not even in the Indian squad despite the fact that careers of both the players aren’t on the wane.

Sourav concluded, “I was surprised to see the exclusion of KL Rahul against Hong Kong. Maybe he was rested but he has only played 30-odd ODIs and he should be made to play more often as he is a good player. The most important thing is to define his role and batting position in the team. We can’t play him as a floater always.”