3 Reasons why India should pick Rishabh Pant ahead of Ambati Rayudu for ICC World Cup 2019

Currently, the whole cricketing world is waiting for the grand ICC World Cup which is all set to begin from 30 May 2019. It is considered as the most honourable event in the history of cricket. This will be the 12th edition of the ICC World Cup which is all set to be hosted by England and Wales.

10 teams will battle amongst each other in 48 matches to win that 1 shinning trophy presented by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament will be conducted in the round-robin format and later in the knockout format.

India, Australia, England and New Zealand are the top 4 teams which are the favourites to win this mega-event referring to their recent form and talent in the squad.

Talking about the Indian team, the team management has tried nearly 8-10 options for the no 4th position in the Indian side. Out of those auditions, the team has to finally decide between 2 guys who can bat at no 4. The 2 most preferable options available to them are Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu.

Also Watch - Race to India's no.4| How are the candidates performing in IPL 2019?

Looking at the recent past, Ambati Rayudu is just 1 step ahead of Pant as he was considered as the no. 4 batsman, in the past few series played by India. However, the management can give the chance to Pant to prove himself as the World Cup is such a big occasion. There are 3 reasons India should pick Pant ahead of Ambati Rayudu for the World Cup which are.

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#3 Better option for backup wicket-keeper than Ambati Rayudu

Rishabh Pant has kept the wickets for India on more occasions than Ambati Rayudu.

Without any doubt, MS Dhoni would be the main man who would keep the wickets for India in the upcoming 2019 World Cup. But, if Dhoni gets injured or is rested, then India should have a reliable back-up wicketkeeper in the side. If such a case happens, then Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu are the 2 options available to the side.

However, in terms of wicket-keeping, Rishabh Pant is slightly ahead of Rayudu. Pant has kept the wickets for India in both red and white ball cricket and has more international experience than Rayudu. Pant has grabbed a total of 40 catches and 2 stumpings for India in test format of the game. Whereas, Rayudu has not done any great when it comes to wicket-keeping for India.

#2 Can play the role of a finisher

Rishabh Pant has shown his heroics with the bat for India

If MS Dhoni goes to bat at #4 for India in the upcoming World Cup, then the team will require a strong finisher as well. In such a case, Rishabh Pant is the only man who could play the role of a finisher while batting at no. 5 or 6. Pant has the ability to slog the ball in the death overs which may benefit India.

Ambati Rayudu is a batsman who could fit well in the opening slot or in the no 4th position as we saw in the ongoing IPL 2019. Referring to this criterion, he can’t play the role of a finisher for India. However, his batting style is also slightly opposite to that of a finisher. So if Pant gets the chance, he can also play the role of a finisher and can win the matches single handedly for his side.

#1 Referring to the current form in IPL 2019

Rishabh Pant has been having a better IPL season than Ambati Rayudu.

Indian Premier League 2019 would prove to be the main criterion for the selection of Indian squad for the World Cup. In this criterion, Pant is one step ahead of Rayudu as he has been having a blast in this year’s IPL. Pant has had a good IPL season thus far for his home franchise, Delhi Capitals.

Rishabh has scored 176 runs from 6 matches at an average of 35.20 which seems way better than Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu hasn’t been looking in great touch in this year’s IPL as compared to the previous one. He has been constantly struggling to score runs at a quick rate. However, due to this reason, MS Dhoni even shifted him to no 4 from the opening slot which in terms seems like a demotion.

So referring to these 3 reasons, India must go with Rishabh Pant ahead of Ambati Rayudu for World Cup 2019.