Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu has refused to blame anyone, particularly former captain Virat Kohli, for his snub from the country's 2019 Cricket World Cup squad. Vijay Shankar had then replaced Rayudu, which came as a major surprise, considering the ex-CSK batter was touted as India's designated number 4 batter for the tournament.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa had earlier accused Kohli of favoritism and blamed him for Rayudu's last-minute exclusion from the World Cup squad. Uthappa's comments generated a lot of discussion 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," Uthappa had told Lallantop in an interview.
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Rayudu, however, declined to place the blame on Kohli, even though he did concur with Uthappa regarding favoritism. He continued by saying that during his career, Kohli supported him a lot.
"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.
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Additionally, Rayudu affirmed Uthappa's claim that the former was sent India's World Cup kit before being excluded from the team. "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.
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