“Rayudu has a set perfect example for those who want to wear Indian jersey,” says former Indian ODI Captain Ajay Jadeja. He believes that a player of his calibre should have made his debut much earlier but it was awful decisions made on his part which got him sidelined. According to Jadeja, the only thing that could have gone in his favour was the tonnes of experience that he has of first-class cricket.
Jadeja was quoted by Deccan Chronicle saying, "If I can remember, Rayudu started playing first-class cricket when I was playing for India. It took him 10 long years to finally make his senior international debut. This shows that in every aspect of life, one should never lose hope."
"I don't think many people would have thought that Rayudu will manage to play for India although his talent was unquestionable. He played in ICL which was an unsanctioned league and then changed states,” he said.
"Once you have gone through all these, there is a tendency of selectors not to pick you. What went in Rayudu's favour was his experience at first-class level and a solid game that he possesses," he added.
Jadeja, who has featured in 196 ODI’s and 15 Test matches is looking forward to Chetashwar Pujara, who has a very sound technique and temperament for the shorter format.
The former ODI Captain was quoted by Deccan Herald saying, "It's not for me or you to judge whether Pujara is in the scheme of things for the 2015 World Cup but he certainly has the game and the temperament. But most important thing is what selectors think about Pujara. He has shown at the domestic level that he can play the shorter version also. I don't see any reason why Pujara won't be successful in ODIs.”
In the recent reports published in The Hindu, Jadeja was quoted saying that Shikhar Dhawan has proved himself that he has that ability to be here and it’s now time for him to work on his flaws. Apart from that, he gave insights on how the new rules have altered the looks of cricket.
"Great players are those who improve and get better with passage of time. Shikhar has started off brilliantly and he will only improve as he works on his flaws. Even Sachin Tendulkar had flaws and he has continuously worked on them. If he is a puller, it's good but if he is a compulsive puller, it's not good. Anything done out of choice is good but not out of compulsion."
Jadeja was himself a finisher and when he was quizzed about that how whether the players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli have changed the definition of a finisher in ODI cricket, he said, "The basic grammar of finishing the game is still the same. Earlier, the game's pace was dictated by the 22 players but now it is about the rules which govern the game. You have two new balls, lesser number of fielders in the circle, mandatory Power-Play by 35th over. These things certainly have become a factor."