Cricket

Ambati Rayudu’s confidence wasn’t there – Former BCCI selector on why he was dropped from 2019 WC

 

Former BCCI selector Gagan Khoda has opened up on the controversial decision to drop Ambati Rayudu from the 2019 World Cup squad. Surprisingly, Rayudu could not get his ticket to England as Khoda stated that the batsman was getting stagnant and his confidence level wasn’t up there.

In fact, Ambati Rayudu had been playing at number four before the ODI showpiece and had done a decent job for the team.  The right-hander had impressed with his performances as he had scored 1694 runs in 55 ODIs at an impressive average of 47.06. Furthermore,  he had scored a gutsy 90 in the tough conditions of New Zealand when the team had their backs against the wall.

However, Rayudu didn’t have the best of the IPL 2019 as he could only muster 282 runs in 17 innings at an average of 23.5 for CSK and thus he had to pay the price.

Gagan Khoda told Sportskeeda, “Ambati Rayudu was experienced and you were looking at the World Cup. We carried on with him for a year but we felt he was getting stagnant. The confidence level going into the World Cup wasn’t there. We couldn’t get any youngsters in because the tournament was in England also.”

Former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad had stated that they have preferred Vijay Shankar over Ambati Rayudu as the former is a ‘three-dimensional’ player. However, Shankar was soon ruled out of the ODI showpiece after taking a blow to his toe from Jasprit Bumrah in the net sessions.

Still, Rayudu was not called upon in the squad and instead, rookie wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was given a chance. Subsequently, Rayudu went on to take retirement from all forms of the game but later made a U-turn on his decision.

There is no doubt that there were some shocking decisions taken by the previous panel of the selectors. India had to pay the price in the all-important semi-final against New Zealand as there was no one in the middle-order to rescue the sinking team’s ship.

The top-order had crumbled like a pack of cards and the inexperience in the middle-order led to India’s downfall. However, now the team has put paid to their number four woes as Shreyas Iyer has grabbed his opportunities in the 50-overs format.

 

 

 

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024