He was prepared to play the 2019 World Cup but wasn't selected at the last minute.
During Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Ambati Rayudu’s exclusion from the 2019 ODI World Cup squad sparked controversy.
The tournament was dramatic for Team India, ending in a semifinal loss to New Zealand, which also marked MS Dhoni’s final match before retiring.
Before the World Cup started, Rayudu was left out of the squad, which led to a lot of criticism. Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa blamed Kohli for Rayudu’s controversial omission.
In an interview with Lallantop, Robin Uthappa said that Kohli dropped Yuvraj Singh when he returned after a battle against cancer and sidelined Ambati Rayudu during the 2019 World Cup.
He especially raised the case of Ambati Rayudu as that was one example where it didn’t go right. Ambati Rayudu was prepared to play the 2019 World Cup but wasn’t selected at the last minute.
“If he (Virat Kohli) didn’t like anyone, he didn’t feel someone is 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, 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.
Ambati Rayudu faced repeated setbacks during the 2019 World Cup when he was overlooked for selection, even after injuries ruled out key players like Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar. Rayudu was disappointed and vented his frustration on social media about the tensions.
He later went on to claim that he was not on good terms with the then-chief selector MSK Prasad, who had been in charge during the tournament. Prasad, however clarified that the selection committee had decided on the player list collectively, though the captain also had a word in it.
After not being selected for the World Cup squad, on 2 July 2019, he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
Rayudu eventually announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on May 29, 2023 after the IPL 2023 final.
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