Rayudu showed one should never lose hope: Ajay Jadeja

Former India ODI captain Ajay Jadeja feels that Ambati Rayudu’s international debut will be an inspiration for all those ‘eternal hopefuls’ who want to don the national colours. ‘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,’ Jadeja said.

‘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. ‘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,’ 42-year-old Jadeja, who played 196 ODIs and 15 Tests for India, said.

Jadeja is also hopeful that Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara will also prove his mettle in the shorter format. ‘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.