Archive“Rayudu should have played the 2019 World Cup”-Kumble
The 37-year-old Ambati Rayudu had a fairytale ending to his cricket career as he helped the Chennai Super Kings win their fifth IPL title this year. Rayudu announced ahead of the final against Gujarat Titans that this match would be his final appearance in the IPL, and with this, he is retiring from all formats of cricket. In his 204 Indian Premier League games, Rayudu has scored 4348 runs and won the IPL title six times, three with the Mumbai Indians and three with CSK.
Anil Kumble’s words on Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu was a part of India’s 2015 ODI World Cup squad, and Anil Kumble believes that he should have been a part of the squad for the next edition of the World Cup too, which was played in England and Wales. During the IPL 2023 final, the former India coach said on Jio Cinema “Rayudu should have played the 2019 World Cup , there’s no doubt about it , it was a huge blunder. You have prepared him for that role for so long, and his name just disappeared from the squad. It was surprising.
MSD praised Rayudu
Rayudu was India’s top run scorer in the Asia Cup a year before, and he played a vital role in the Chennai Super Kings squad to win the 2018 IPL, but he was dropped from the squad for all-rounder Vijay Shankar.
After winning this year’s IPL title, CSK skipper MS Dhoni also said, “He is an amazing cricketer and always wants to contribute for the team. I have been playing with him for a long time, since the India A tours. He is a player who can play pace and spin bowling equally well, and this final game will be memorable for him. He is also just like me—not someone who uses the phone too often. The important thing is that he had a fantastic career, and I hope he enjoys the next phase of his life”.
Rayudu’s international debut was in 2013
Rayudu was first selected for Team India in December 2012 as a replacement for Manoj Tiwari, who was injured. The selection was for the T20 series against England, but Rayudu was not included in the playing 11 for any of those two matches. In the 2012–13 season, he scored 666 runs.
In July 2013, he was named as the replacement for MS Dhoni in the West Indies tri-series, who was ruled out of the series due to an injury, but here too he didn’t appear in any matches. He made his international debut on July 24, 2013, in an ODI and played a vital role in India’s win as he made 63* with Virat Kohli, who made a century and helped India win.
