"Completely True But...": Ambati Rayudu On Robin Uthappa's Shock 'Virat Kohli Selection' Story

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu has refused to point fingers, especially the then captain Virat Kohli, over his exclusion from India's 2019 Cricket World Cup squad. Rayudu was leading the race to become India's designated no. 4 for the tournament, but was replaced by Vijay Shankar in what came as a major shock. Recently, former India wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa had blamed Kohli for Rayudu's last-minute snub, while also accusing the latter of favouritism. Uthappa's remarks had sparked a huge debate on social media.

"If he (Virat Kohli) didn't like anyone, he didn't feel someone was good, then they were cut. Rayudu is the prime example. You feel bad. Everyone has preferences, but you can't shut the door on a player after bringing him so close. He had the World Cup clothes, kit bag, and everything at his home. A player would think he is going to the World Cup. But you shut the door on him. That wasn't fair," said Uthappa told Lallantop.

While Rayudu did agree with Uthappa on the favouritism part, he refused to blame Kohli. He also went on to claim that Kohli backed him a lot during his career.

"What Robin has said is completely true (about liking and disliking in Indian cricket), but it was for a period of time. In an interview, I said that Virat is the one who backed me. End of the day, people get carried away. I felt at that time, that decision, I don't think it was just based on cricket type. It was (mutual), it's the management's call. You cannot blame the selector, captain, or coach. You can't point a finger at one person. Not saying it's not about cricket, but it was entirely not only about cricket," Rayudu told Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel.

Rayudu also confirmed Uthappa's statement where he had revealed that the former was sent India's kit for the 2019 World Cup before being left out of the squad.

"Yes, I had the jersey and kit for the 2019 World Cup because they used to get 20-25 players ready with passports, visas, and clothes. They used to send everything. The selection takes place after that because it's tough to do all that at the last minute. It's not like I was in the team and then kicked out.

"No, no. At that time, the most frustrating thing was that if you were not taking the No. 4 player, then you won't be playing an all-rounder at that position. So, why do you need a 3-dimensional player to bat at No. 4? You need a batter who is there to create a bridge between the top order and lower middle," Rayudu added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Ambati Rayudu Robin Uthappa Cricket