Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly believes that Ambati Rayudu will be part of the squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 and he backed the batsman to score big in the marquee event.

“Rayudu played well. He fizzled out in the middle but has played well overall and I think he will go to the WC and he will play in India after this and he will score runs and go to the WC. This is a settled team and the 14-15 core of the team is settled and I hope all these players are fit come the World Cup and this team will be a strong team,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by India TV.

Rayudu scored 90 runs off 113 balls to steady the India innings after a top-order collapse in the 5th ODI against New Zealand in Wellington. He shared a 98-run stand with Vijay Shankar for the 5th wicket before adding another 74 runs for the 6th wicket with Kedar Jadhav. It was his innings that proved to be the difference between the two sides as the visitors were able to win the match by 35 runs and clinch the series 4-1.

Earlier, Ganguly was quite impressed by Pandya’s performance in the same match and he hailed the all-rounder for showing ‘great mental strength’ after his suspension from the side.

“He (Pandya) showed great mental strength. With time, everything cools off and his approach to the match was also quite better. He adds to the strength of the team,” Ganguly said.

“It’s been a better performance than Australia. It has been complete domination and it’s good to see them dominate at home and away as well. The confidence has been great and it’s quite impressive to see the bowlers get them out in 50 overs. It’s been a great year for India in ODIs,’he added.

First Published: Feb 05, 2019 11:51 IST