Ambati Rayudu reported for suspect bowling action in Sydney ODI, to undergo testing in 14 days

Ambati Rayudu had a tough time in the Sydney ODI, bowling two overs and conceding 13 runs. With the bat, he was trapped LBW for 0 by Jhye Richardson and he used up a review which proved to be costly as MS Dhoni fell victim to a poor umpiring decision when he was dismissed for 51. Rayudu’s troubles have mounted as he has been reported for a suspect bowling action during the game and he will have to undergo testing. In a statement released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the match official’s report, which was handed to the Indian team management, cited concerns over the legality of his action.

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.”

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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.

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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 22^nd 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.