Ambati Rayudu claims that coming out of retirement was not a U-turn
What's the story?
Ambati Rayudu has cleared the air around his comeback from retirement. Rayudu has expressed belief that he still has a lot of cricket left in him, while reinstating his desire to score as many runs as he can for Hyderabad.
In case you didn't know...
Rayudu surprised everyone by announcing his retirement post his World Cup snub. However, he then back-tracked on the decision and announced that he would definitely turn up for his IPL side Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020.
Rayudu has also formally informed Hyderabad Cricket Association that he is willing to play for the side in the forthcoming domestic season.
The heart of the matter
Talking to Telangana Today, Ambati Rayudu said that his decision to come out of retirement wasn't a 'U-turn', as it is widely perceived. Rayudu further stated that he has declined lucrative offers for playing in overseas leagues.
"I declined lucrative offers to play in T10 and T20 leagues in Canada and other countries," Rayudu said. "I have come out of retirement for well-wishers. It is not a U-turn as for good reasons I believe I have good amount of cricket left in me. My top priority is now to get runs for Hyderabad."
Rayudu further added that his initial retirement was an emotional decision which he took as an aftermath of the 'shocking' World Cup rebuff, where Vijay Shankar was picked instead.
"I had worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup. I quit red-ball cricket for the World Cup. I was extremely fit and doing the role, which the team asked me to do at No. 4 and suddenly when you are not in the team, it was shocking," he said. "There was no communication from the team members also."
Interestingly, the 33-year-old retired from first-class cricket in November last year. However, Rayudu refuted the argument that his retirement from first-class cricket hampered his ODI form.
"The main reason was that I wanted myself to be fully fit and fresh for the World Cup. I didn't regret that move and my sole intention was to do well in World Cup then. I don't agree that since I didn't play in Ranji Trophy, I didn't get runs for India," he said.
"In fact, I had a very, very good tour of New Zealand. Of course, it took a game or two to get back to my form. I was the highest run-getter in New Zealand. I was happy with the way I was batting and shaping up. It was unfortunate that [the selectors] had different combinations in mind and that didn't work out for me," he added.
What's next?
Rayudu certainly did not help his own cause by announcing his early retirement from international cricket. Now that he has gone back on that decision, it will be interesting to see whether he can ever make a comeback to the national side.
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