“Rayudu is the prime example” - Former India batter reveals stunning tale of Virat Kohli’s 2019 World Cup decision

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa blamed Virat Kohli for Ambati Rayudu's sudden exclusion from the side before the 2019 ODI World Cup. Rayudu had been a regular on the Indian ODI side since the middle of 2018, leading up to the showpiece event.

However, after playing the first three ODIs of India's final series before the World Cup against Australia, he had been left out in favor of batting all-rounder Vijay Shankar. The Men in Blue went into the World Cup with Rayudu not finding a place in the squad despite boasting stellar ODI numbers with an average of over 47 in 55 outings. The now-39-year-old has never played for India in any format since.

Talking about Kohli's treatment of Rayudu, Uthappa told the Lallantop YouTube channel [Via Hindustan Times]:

"If he (Virat Kohli) didn't like anyone, he didn't feel someone is good, then they were cut. (Ambati) Rayudu is the prime example. You feel bad. Everybody has preferences, I agree but you cannot close the door on a player after taking him to the cusp."

He added:

"He had World Cup clothes, World Cup kit bag, everything was there at his home. A player would be thinking that he is going to the World Cup. But you shut the door on him. That wasn't fair according to me."

Unfortunately for Kohli and Team India, the 2019 ODI World Cup ended in disappointment as the side suffered a semi-final exit at the hands of New Zealand.

Rayudu's absence was massively felt as India struggled to find a consistent No.4 - a position Rayudu had made his own over the past few months.

Ambati Rayudu retired from all forms of India cricket in 2023

Rayudu signed off in style with a title run in IPL 2023 [Credit: Getty]

Ambati Rayudu signed off from all forms of Indian cricket after helping Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win their fifth title in IPL 2023.

The right-hander played his last match for India in the aforementioned Australian ODI series before the 2019 World Cup. Apart from the 55 ODIs, Rayudu also played six T20I games for India but averaged only 10.50.

He finished as a six-time IPL winner - three each with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and CSK.

Despite walking away from Indian cricket, Rayudu has continued to feature in other T20 leagues around the world, including the popular Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Major League Cricket (MLC).