'If they would have picked someone like Rahane': Ambati Rayudu's big revelation about WC snub, namedrops Vijay Shankar
Recalling his unfortunate World Cup snub, Ambati Rayudu also gave Vijay Shankar a special mention.
Despite being a frontrunner to solve the middle-order conundrum in the Indian squad, former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu was overlooked by the national selectors when the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) announced the star-studded squad of the men's team for the ICC World Cup 2019. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stalwart was ignored twice during the initial stage of the showpiece event.
Rayudu was not considered when India lost veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan due to an injury. Interestingly, the senior batter was snubbed when all-rounder Vijay Shankar was ruled out of the World Cup. A day after India sealed its berth for the semi-final stage of the World Cup, Rayudu dropped a retirement bombshell as the ex-CSK batter called time on his bitter-sweet international career.
'If they would have picked someone like Rahane'
Recalling his unfortunate World Cup snub in an interview with TV9 Telugu, the IPL 2023 winner opined that it would have been more appropriate if the selectors opted for a senior batter like Ajinkya Rahane in Team India's World Cup squad at the time. “See if they would have picked someone like [Ajinkya] Rahane or any similar ilk of a player or someone who is experienced and senior it would have been understandable. Everyone wants India to win. They have not picked me for whatever reason which only they would know. But when you replace me with someone it should be helpful to the team as well. That is where I got angry," Rayudu said.
With Shankar upstaging Rayudu in the selection race for the World Cup, the discarded batter had also shared a cheeky tweet about the selectors opting for an all-rounder. Indian all-rounder Shankar pipped Rayudu for a place in the World Cup squad on the basis of his three-dimensional skill set. The 37-year-old only played 55 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 6 T20Is for India.
'Everyone went after Vijay Shankar'
“Everyone went after Vijay Shankar. I did not have that intention. I could not understand their thinking and logic. If you have decided to replace me, you could have picked a similar player. How can you pick a player who plays numbers 6 and 7 and put him at 4? I don’t have anything personal against Vijay Shankar and MSK Prasad. I have played in New Zealand before the World Cup in similar conditions. I have been preparing well. Only those people can answer what went on," Rayudu added.
