Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer turned esteemed Cricket commentator, didn’t pull any punches while providing his assessment of the Indian selection Committee during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. In a candid and unvarnished statement during his commentary on India vs New Zealand match in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Gambhir labeled the 2019 selection committee as “the worst selection committee in the history of Indian cricket.”
Gautam Gambhir’s pointed criticism was rooted in the decision to omit Ambati Rayudu from the World Cup squad, a move that left many cricket enthusiasts perplexed. The crux of his argument revolved around the team’s No. 4 batting position, which was a critical concern for the Indian cricket team leading up to the tournament. Rayudu, who had been a consistent presence in the team throughout the year, was inexplicably left out of the World Cup squad, a decision that raised significant questions.
In his commentary, Gambhir extended his critique to the broader decision-making process of the selection committee. He emphasized that the resources available to the team management, including the players at their disposal, are a direct result of the choices made by the selection committee. In this context, he expressed his perplexity over the committee’s decision to exclude Ambati Rayudu, particularly given his established role within the team in the run-up to the World Cup.
“The Selection Committee for the Indian Cricket Team during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 was the worst selection committee in the history of Indian cricket and the reason for that, is you drop a batter like Ambati Rayudu, you don’t take him for the World Cup and you take someone else when your biggest concern was the No.4 spot.
“So when you have a selection committee with such thinking, we can talk about team management, team management might’ve made some mistakes but the resources which our team management gets are given by the selectors. And you played Ambati Rayudu for the whole year and then right before the World Cup you dropped him and no one knows the reason behind this,” Gautam Gambhir said
Watch: Gautam Gambhir’s No-Filter Criticism Of The 2019 Selection Committee
Gautam Gambhir clearly spitting hard facts about the 2019 WC 🗣️ He says that not having Raydu as number 4 was one of the biggest reason why we lost and selection committee is the one to be blamed. It takes courage to say truth openly. Hard to swallow but facts! #INDvNZ #CWC203 pic.twitter.com/swnqRtUmVK
— Harsh Kasera 🇮🇳🔥 (@the__sanatani) October 22, 2023
The exclusion of Rayudu, especially after his extended stint with the squad, left both fans and experts bewildered. Gautam Gambhir’s assertion that “no one knows the reason behind this” underscores the lack of transparency surrounding the decision to drop Rayudu from the World Cup squad, a situation that further added to the confusion and debate within the cricketing community.
It’s essential to recognize that while Gambhir’s evaluation was critical, it echoed the sentiments of numerous cricket enthusiasts who were equally confounded by the choices made by the selection committee ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. India’s World Cup campaign in 2019 was marked by a mix of achievements and setbacks, with the selections forming a critical component of the squad’s composition.
Ultimately, Gautam Gambhir’s unfiltered comments underline the intricacies and challenges of the selection process in a cricket-obsessed country, where fans and experts closely dissect each decision made by the selection committee, especially in the lead-up to a major tournament such as the ICC Cricket World Cup.
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