MSK Prasad says their preferred no. 4 batsman was out when needed.
Former India middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu wasn’t selected to join India’s Cricket World Cup team. The decision to not include him affected him so much that he decided to retire. Reports say that this was payment because he tweeted about something in April which cost him his slot. MSK Prasad defended their decision to not include him.
Rayudu was India’s number four batsman for the months leading to the World Cup. However, because of his subpar performance in 2019, his chances of selection dropped. Vijay Shankar eventually beat him to the offer. After announcing the team, Prasad praised Vijay, saying that he is a ‘three-dimensional cricketer’ and that he would do well. After this, he tweeted that he ‘had ordered a set of 3D glasses to watch the World Cup’ which was uncalled for.
During the course of the tournament, India suffered multiple injuries to their players such as Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay himself. Team management preferred to call up wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as a replacement for Dhawan; they also called up Mayank Agarwal as Vijay’s replacement. Shortly after this, Rayudu announced his retirement.
Talks about this matter arose again when the India Squad for the West Indies tour was announced. Prasad defended the decision of not selecting Ambati saying that there were “combinations at permutations” that needed to be handled.
“There was criticism when we picked Rayudu after his 2017-18 T20 form. When he failed the fitness test, we backed him. Due to some combinations & permutations, we didn’t pick him for the World Cup. We didn’t do anything against him. We are also emotional,” he said.
Despite the unfortunate series of events that led to Ambati Rayudu's retirement, India made it all the way to the semi-finals. To find out more about the different cricket leagues, visit Betwala's page.
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