New Delhi:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended India cricket team all-rounder Ambati Rayudu from bowling in international cricket after he was called for a suspect action during the Sydney ODI against Australia earlier in January. In a statement released by the ICC, Rayudu was suspended from bowling in accordance with clause 4.2 of the ICC regulations. The suspension will remain in place until he is tested, and can demonstrate he is able to bowl with a legal action. According to Article 11.5 of the Regulations and with the consent of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Rayudu may be allowed to bowl in domestic cricket events played under the auspices of the BCCI. During the Sydney ODI, match officials reported concerns about Rayudu’s action in their reports, the latter has 14 days to undergo testing within 14 days.
During the Sydney ODI, The statement further read, “Rayudu’s bowling action will now be scrutinised further under the ICC process relating to suspected illegal bowling actions reported in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is required to undergo testing within 14 days, and, during this period, Rayudu is permitted to continue bowling in international cricket until the results of the testing are known.”
In the Sydney ODI, Rayudu bowled with a different action. When the Andhra player had started bowling, his action was more upright but here, he bowled with a slight flex. Although he conceded just three runs in his first over, he conceded two boundaries to Usman Khawaja in his second over which allowed Australia to build momentum.
Rayudu’s bowling troubles could present Virat Kohli some selection headaches heading into the next seven ODIs against Australia and New Zealand. With Hardik Pandya suspended, he might be tempted to draft Vijay Shankar in the squad purely as a bowling all-rounder. Kedar Jadhav is present in the side and he might get a look-in for Adelaide. However, the Indian skipper has not tried the legspin combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal outside the subcontinent too much but this latest development might force Kohli to bring about some balance in the lower middle order and the bowling line-up.
India lost the Sydney ODI by 34 runs despite some fabulous batting from Rohit Sharma, who blasted his 22nd century and seventh against Australia. Dhoni gave him good support for 51 but the former India skipper’s knock was deemed too slow by social media, resulting in added criticism as the time draws near for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019 which will be held in England.
