MSK Prasad hurt with Ambati Rayudu's plight
Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad opened up about Ambati Rayudu for the first time since the ICC World Cup 2019. After being earmarked as India's number four, Rayudu was snubbed from 15-man squad for the quadrennial tournament. As per the cricket pundits, his case was poorly handled by the Indian team management among the much talked about middle order issues. Here's more.
Committee backed him: Prasad
"I felt seriously for Rayudu. We always felt he should be on the radar of Test selection. I spoke to him as to why he was not focusing on Tests," he was quoted as saying to Sportstar. "I am hurt at what happened with him."
Patchy form before World Cup took away his spot
Rayudu was labelled under Team India's core section following his magnificent run in the New Zealand ODI series in 2019. Having scored 190 runs in 5 innings at 63.33, he was the highest run-scorer of the bilateral series. Nevertheless, he had to bear the brunt of lean patch in the next series against Australia followed by a dodgy IPL campaign.
Vijay Shankar was given the nod over Rayudu
The MSK Prasad-led committee preferred Vijay Shankar over Rayudu, owing to his 3-dimensional attributes. The contentious decision didn't go down well with Rayudu as he announced retirement midway through the tournament. However, the 34-year-old took a giant u-turn, stating that his decision to retire was an emotional one and he will be available for selection.
The committee is willing to back youngsters
MSK Prasad believes despite being a Dhoni fan, he has to set his professional calls aside and move on. "Mahi will take a decision for himself. As a panel member, if I keep professional duty aside, I am as big a fan of Dhoni as anyone else," he said. He added, "Our duty is to move on and identify the next generation of players."
