Former Indian head coach Anil Kumble feels that it was a blunder move by the Indian selectors and the Indian team management to drop Ambati Rayudu from the Indian team for the 2019 World Cup as the team went in with the inexperienced Vijay Shankar for the World Cup in England.
Ambati Rayudu was dropped after scoring only 33 runs in three innings against Australia ahead of the 2019 World Cup. However, he amassed 639 runs at an average of 42.6 after his comeback in ODIs (2018-19) following his heroics for Chennai Super Kings in 2018.
Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar was selected ahead of Rayudu, then-chief selector MSK Prasad said Shankar was a ‘3D’ player due to his all-round abilities, which was wide discussed topic following his selection in the side.
Speaking on the Jiocinema, Former Indian Cricketer Anil Kumble feels that Ambati Rayudu should have definitely played in the 2019 World Cup, as he has prepared to do the job for the team before the event and reckons that it was a surprising move by the Indian team.
“Rayudu should have played in 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.
The Indian skipper Virat Kohli even publicly stated that Rayudu would be India’s No. 4 in the 2019 ICC World Cup just months before the tournament.
Rayudu’s exclusion from the team proved to be a costly move for the Men in Blue as they could get past the semifinals of the tournaments. The Indian skipper Virat Kohli even publicly stated that Rayudu would be India’s No. 4 in the 2019 ICC World Cup just months before the tournament.
Ambati Rayudu has played 55 ODIs and 6 T20Is and has hit three hundreds for India and has an important part in India’s success in the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai. In the Indian Premier League matches.
Rayudu has played 203 matches and has scored 4329 runs, including a hundred in the IPL, and has played for two successful franchises in the history of the league winning 3 titles each with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.