Ambati Rayudu omitted from Duleep Trophy and India A squads after skipping Yo-Yo test
Ambati Rayudu's omission from the India A squads for the Quadrangular series, Tests and the Duleep Trophy squads was due to the fact that he is yet to appear for his Yo-Yo test. The 32-year-old, who was initially picked in India's ODI squad, was dropped after he failed to clear the Yo-Yo test ahead of the ODI series and Suresh Raina was announced as his replacement.
Since then, he hasn't taken the test again and sources in the BCCI have revealed that the management informed the selectors to not pick players not up to the fitness standards, according to a report in the Mumbai Mirror. Rayudu has had six weeks to take the test again, having failed it on June 15 but he has asked for more time.
He was in England with the junior Chennai Super Kings squad and has asked for two weeks' time to appear for the test again as he hopes to clear it and be in contention for a spot in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup in September.
The 32-year-old was CSK's leading run-getter in IPL 2018 and earned a spot in the Indian ODI side for England after a personal-best IPL season that saw him score 602 runs at an average of 43 and strike rate of almost 150.
But since then, things haven't gone according to plan as he was not only dropped from the Indian ODI squad but also not picked in the India A and India B squads for quadrangular series, India Blue, Red and Green teams for the Duleep Trophy and India A squad for the two four-day games against South Africa A.
It is also understood that Rahul Dravid had some input on the India A squad and Akshay Wadkar has been named as the replacement for wicket-keeper batsman Abhishek Gupta, who was picked in the India Red squad for the Duleep Trophy despite being banned for a doping violation till September 14.