Ambati Rayudu, once considered the solution to India’s middle-order woes, was famously overlooked for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Despite the loss of opener Shikhar Dhawan due to injury, Rayudu was not selected. Even after Vijay Shankar’s injury, Rayudu was still ignored. When India crashed out of the semi-finals, Rayudu announced his retirement from international cricket.
In a recent interview with TV9 Telugu, Rayudu shed light on his World Cup snub and revealed that he and former chief selector MSK Prasad did not see eye to eye. Prasad was the chief selector during the 2019 World Cup. Rayudu also mentioned that he did not appreciate some of the methods of the team captain (Prasad) when he played for Andhra Pradesh in 2005.
It comes as no surprise that Prasad, a former India player, responded to Rayudu’s allegations.
Speaking to timesnownews.com, he said, “All of us know that the selection committee has got five selectors and the captain sitting in the selection committee. Will any single person’s decision be taken or is it a consensus or is it an entire collective decision that would be taken? If an individual can take a decision then you don’t require five selectors.”
“So any decision that is taken only happens with the consensus of the entire selection committee. So it is a collective decision. Not an individual decision. I may propose something but somebody else has to accept it. No individual decision will prevail in a committee”, he further added.
Also, reacting to Rayudu’s allegations regarding his Andhra captaincy, Prasad said, “In a team, a small difference can happen during a long cricketing season. There can be a difference of opinion between brothers also. But that cannot be the reason to carry such small differences here and there to such a big platform like Indian cricket team’s selection. Rayudu got selected for Indian Team for all the previous international games prior to the World Cup.”
“When one doesn’t have differences for those matches then how come any difference will come for World Cup selections? I want to clear the air that the selection process is a complete collective decision but it will never be an individual opinion or decision”, he further added.
Despite his retirement from international cricket in July 2019, Rayudu continued to play in the IPL until recently. However, on May 28 of this year, he announced his retirement from the IPL, followed by his decision to quit all forms of Indian cricket on May 29.
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