World Cup 2019: Yuvraj Singh bats for Ambati Rayudu after his World Cup snub
What's the story?
Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has come out to express his disappointment over the exclusion of Ambati Rayudu from the World Cup squad. The right-handed batsman was not picked in the initial squad, then was overlooked twice as a replacement for injured players.
In case you didn't know...
Ambati Rayudu was being groomed as the no.4 batsman for the Indian team in the World Cup. The right-hander seemed to seal the spot with a good tour of New Zealand but poor performances in ODI series vs Australia cost him his place in the World Cup squad.
Heart of the matter
Indian middle-order struggled throughout the tournament, which made fans and critics wonder if things could have been different with someone like Rayudu in the squad. Yuvraj Singh said that he felt for Rayudu who recently announced his retirement from international cricket. [H/T Times of India]
"I also feel quite sad about Rayudu that he retired. It is unfortunate how they dealt with the whole situation. You are looking to go and play the World Cup and suddenly you don't find a place,"
The legendary batsman said that he is disappointed with the management for their handling of Ambati Rayudu. He pointed out that Rayudu had done well in New Zealand, but he was sidelined just after a few bad innings. Yuvraj Singh added:
"It was disappointing to watch what they did with Rayudu. He was in the contention for the World Cup. He got runs in New Zealand but after three or four bad innings, he got dropped,"
After being overlooked for the Indian World Cup squad for the second time, Ambati Rayudu announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The right-handed wrote a letter to the BCCI secretary where he confirmed his decision.
What's next?
Indian team management has an unenviable task of identifying a batsman who can be India's number four for a long time.
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