Ex-Scotland player Rajput not surprised at World Cup qualifiers show vs Windies

Brandon McMullen of Scotland celebrates the wicket of Johnson Charles of West Indies during the ICC Men`s Cricket World Cup Qualifier at Harare Sports Club on July 1. Pic/Getty Images

Former India opener Lalchand Rajput, who also represented Scotland in the 1985-86 season, is not surprised with Scotland beating West Indies in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers at Harare, Zimbabwe, on Saturday.

The Richie Berrington-led Scottish team beat the two-time ODI World Cup-winning Caribbean team by seven wickets in a Super Six match. It resulted in Shai Hope's team not being able to feature in the 50-over World Cup for the first time.

"Scotland's cricket has improved a lot. I am not surprised by the way they beat the West Indies. I was sure about Scotland playing well in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers. In fact, when I was in Scotland as Zimbabwe's coach in 2021-22, I met Scotland Cricket officials and I told them, ‘This Scotland team will definitely go a long way.' They also gave us [Zimbabwe] a tough fight, but we won that series.

"They [Scotland] are a force, but during their winter, they should play in Dubai, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The more matches they play, they will improve their match temperament and players will get more matured," Rajput told mid-day.com on Saturday.

Lalchand Rajput

While recalling his Scotland days, Rajput said: "I used to play for Strathmore and Perthshire and then for their national team as well. I was the first Indian to play for two countries - India and Scotland. Then, [ex-India captain] Rahul Dravid played for Scotland. Despite having limited opportunities at the international level, Scotland has improved their standards a lot.

"When I was playing in Scotland, I noticed they have good infrastructure, but due to cold weather conditions and a lot of rain, they were not able to play throughout the year. But now, because of T20, they are getting good opportunities."

When asked what went wrong with the West Indies, who once dominated world cricket, Rajput reckoned franchise cricket is affecting their game.

"I feel very sad for the two-time World champion team, who failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup. It's very miserable for WI cricket. Maybe, franchise cricket is affecting their cricketing standards. The main WI players want to play franchise cricket because they are getting more money. If the West Indies cricket board can pay them well then maybe you will have a different scenario. But the main thing is that someone should tell players that playing for their country is most important. Their priority should be the country," Rajput remarked.

Also Read: World Cup Qualifier: 'All is not lost,' says Jason Holder after West Indies' loss