Former India captain and head coach, Anil Kumble didn't mince words and opined that the decision to leave Rayudu out of the squad was a 'huge blunder'. Kumble said that India prepared Rayudu for a particular role and then decided to drop him altogether.
"Rayudu should have played the 2019 World Cup. Oh yes, there's no doubt about it. It was a huge blunder. You prepared him for that role for so long and his name just disappears from the squad. It was surprising nonetheless," Kumble said on Jio Cinema during the IPL 2023 final.
One of the most underrated cricketers in recent times, Ambati Rayudu retired from all forms of cricket after helping Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with its fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2023. Rayudu will be remembered as a winning player. The right-handed batter wasn't always the flashy name in the star-studded teams he played for during his career but the job that he did was nothing short of impeccable. A true IPL great, Rayudu finished with six IPL titles to his name.
There was a time between 2017 and 2019 when Rayudu was becoming an indispensable name in Team India. With the Men in Blue struggling to find a solid batter for the No.4 position, the Rayudu made the spot his own by scoring impactful runs for the team and digging the side out of a hole whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Just when the right-handed batter was on course to be a part of India's 2019 ODI World Cup squad, the selectors made a decision that surprised most of the Indian cricket followers. Rayudu was not selected for the quadrennial competition leaving Team India's batting line-up vulnerable.
Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant were preferred over Rayudu. As it turned out, Rayudu's omission did make a difference. When India needed an experienced campaigner to steady the ship in the semi-final against New Zealand, the team missed Rayudu's services.
Rayudu never played for the Men in Blue after being left out of the 2019 ODI World Cup squad. He ended his Team India career with 55 ODI caps, scoring 1,694 runs at an average of 47.05 with the help of 10 half-centuries and three tons.
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