New Delhi: Rohit Sharma struck yet another ‘daddy hundred’ but it was probably Ambati Rayudu’s relatively modest century Monday which pleased India captain Virat Kohli more as he seeks an end to a pesky problem seven months before the World Cup next year in England.
“He reads the game really well, so we are happy that someone with intelligence is batting at number four,” Kohli said. “Hopefully he has solved all the mysteries of number four. I guess till the World Cup, there won’t be any talk of number four.”
India’s top order looks relatively settled with an in-form trio – Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli but the problem has been acute at No.4 with Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Lokesh Rahul and Dinesh Karthik being trialled at the crucial spot and found inadequate.
However, Rayudu’s second 50-plus score in four matches against West Indies has filled Kohli with optimism he may not need to fret over the issue anymore.
“Rayudu has taken his opportunity with both hands,” Kohli said after the team’s victory in the fourth ODI against West Indies in Mumbai. “We need to back him till the World Cup and give him more confidence. He is feeling good about his game and he is a very confident man.”
Rayudu exhibited both sides of his batting in his 211-run stand with Rohit Monday, first playing second fiddle to his partner and then using the long handle to good effect in his brilliantly paced knock of 100.
Khaleel reprimanded
Dubai: Young Indian pacer Khaleel Ahmed was Tuesday warned and handed a demerit point for giving an ‘aggressive’ send-off to West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels during the fourth ODI in Mumbai. Ahmed was found guilty of a Level 1 breach in the ICC Code of Conduct. The 20-year-old admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad, making a formal hearing redundant. “Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points,” an ICC release added.
Caption
Ambati Rayudu’s performance in the West Indies series has pleased skipper Virat Kohli for the No.4 slot in the batting line-up
