"I had some issues with the member of the selection committee" - Ambati Rayudu opens up on 2019 World Cup snub

Recently retired Indian batter Ambati Rayudu opened up about being ignored by national selectors for the ICC 2019 ODI World Cup, suggesting that he may have been intentionally sidelined.

Rayudu stated that he had some problems with one of the selectors, which could possibly have been one of the reasons for the snub. While he didn't name anybody, he mentioned that the issue took place during the early stages of his career.

The 37-year-old made these remarks while speaking to TV9 Telugu. Here's what he said:

"I had some issues with the member of the selection committee when I was playing with them in the early stages of my career, which might be one of the reasons why I was out of the team in World Cup 2019."

Rayudu was notably one of the frontrunners for the No. 4 spot in India's batting for the 50-over World Cup in 2019. Virat Kohli, who led the team at the marquee event, confirmed that in a press conference as well.

However, the seasoned batter was surprisingly left out of the squad in favor of all-rounder Vijay Shankar. Former selector MSK Prasad had claimed that Shankar got the nod over Rayudu as he brought a '3D' aspect.

Taking a dig at the selector, Rayudu had shared a sarcastic tweet.

During the interview, Rayudu also revealed that in 2018, some BCCI officials had asked him to be prepared for the 2019 World Cup, adding:

"The BCCI officials in 2018 told me to be prepared for the 2019 World Cup"

The decision to add Shankar to the lineup didn't reap great dividends, as he finished with 58 runs from three games before being ruled out of the event due to a fractured toe.

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"Felt like I'm back at home" - Ambati Rayudu on his stint with CSK

Ambati Rayudu announced that he would retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the IPL 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) last month.

CSK secured a thrilling five-wicket win in the summit clash to win their fifth title. With the victory, Rayudu became the second player after Rohit Sharma to reach six IPL victories.

Speaking about his experience with the Chennai-based side, Ambati Rayudu told TV9 Telugu:

"When I went to CSK, I felt like I'm back at home. The most enjoyable phase of my career was with CSK."

Ambati Rayudu's IPL career was a decorated one, as the veteran batter finished with 4,348 runs from 187 innings, including one century and 22 fifties.