In 2013 against Zimbabwe, Ambati Rayudu impressed everyone with a knock of 63 not out. After that the right-handed batsman scored 743 runs in 27 matches at an average of 41.27.
As a result of his efforts, the Guntur-born cricketer was selected in the 2015 World Cup squad. However unfortunately he couldn’t get any game as the batting order was fully settled.
After the mega-event, Rayudu scored big in almost every game. But still he wasn’t called into the national team for one year. In 2016 he made a comeback against Zimbabwe and was once again sidelined after three games.
However in 2017, after Yuvraj Singh lost his spot in the Indian team, there was a huge void created at the No. 4 position. The management tried young and veteran players, but everyone seemed to miss it.
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Rayudu once again left out
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It is at that time Ambati Rayudu played exceptionally well for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL in 2018. He was called for the limited overs format against England. But unfortunately he couldn’t clear the yo-yo fitness test.
After that he made a comeback to the national side during the 2018 Asia Cup. It was almost after two years that Rayudu was playing in the national colours. He kept scoring runs for his team and even skipper Virat Kohli was assured that Rayudu would take the No. 4 spot in World Cup.
But unfortunately Rayudu lost his form at a crucial time and succumbed to one failure after the other. As a result during the World Cup squad selection, Rayudu’s name was not taken and Vijay Shankar took his place.
Regarding Shankar’s selection, chief selector MSK Prasad said, “After the Champions Trophy, we tried quite a few people at No.4. We gave a few more chances to Rayudu. What Vijay Shankar brings is three dimensional. We are looking at him at no. 4 to begin with.”
After being left out Rayudu took to Twitter and wrote a cryptic message which seemed to be a sarcastic dig at the selectors. It seemed as if the tweet was emphasized on the word ‘three dimensional’. Rayudu wrote, “Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup.”