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Ambati Rayudu played 10 ODIs for India in the build-up to the ODI World Cup in 2019, but he was not picked in the 15-member squad for the 10-team tournament played from May 30 to July 14.
Robin Uthappa blames Virat Kohli for Ambati Rayudu’s controversial snub from India’s ODI World Cup 2019 squad. (Picture Credit: PTI, Screengrab)
Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa, who was part of the MS Dhoni-led side that won the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, has blamed batting superstar Virat Kohli for Ambati Rayudu’s snub from India’s ODI World Cup 2019 squad. Rayudu was dropped from India’s ODI World Cup squad despite playing 10 matches for the Indian team in the build-up to that tournament. The 39-year-old was not even called in as a replacement player after Shikhar Dhawan got ruled out of the tournament due to an injury that he suffered during the team’s second match against Australia.
According to Uthappa, if Kohli, who was the captain of the Indian team at that time, didn’t like anyone, then he was dropped from the team, and the same happened with Rayudu, who was India’s No. 4 batter at that time.
“If he (Virat Kohli) didn’t like anyone, he didn’t feel someone was good, then they were cut. (Ambati) Rayudu is the prime example. You feel bad. Everybody has preferences, I agree, but you cannot close the door on a player after taking him to the cusp. He had World Cup clothes and a World Cup kit bag; everything was there at his home. A player would be thinking that he is going to the World Cup. But you shut the door on him. That wasn’t fair according to me,” Uthappa said while speaking on Lallantop.
After he was ignored for a place in India’s ODI World Cup squad, Rayudu posted a controversial ‘3D’ tweet and blamed former chief selector MSK Prasad for his snub. But Prasad stated that the committee consisted of other selectors too, and even the captain had a role in decisions.
Rayudu’s record for India
Rayudu, who is the joint-most successful player in IPL history with six titles to his name, played a total of 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India and scored 1694 and 42 runs, respectively. He was part of India’s ODI World Cup squad in 2015 but didn’t get a chance to play any match. During his six-year-long ODI career for India, Rayudu helped India win the 2018 edition of the Asia Cup, which was played in the United Arab Emirates.
