Virat Kohli Travis Head. Image Credits: AFP/X
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup remains one of the most emotional tournaments for Indian fans. India dominated the league stage, finishing at the top of the table with seven wins in nine matches.
Virat Kohli's side looked unstoppable before suffering a heartbreaking semi-final defeat against New Zealand.
However, apart from the semi-final loss, another controversy from that World Cup still remains fresh in the minds of the fans - Ambati Rayudu's shocking omission from the Indian squad.
Even years later, many fans and former cricketers believe Rayudu deserved a place in the team and blame the team management, captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri for the controversial call.
With Ambati Rayudu serving as the Director of Cricket Operations of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, the discussion around the incident has once again returned to the spotlight.
What was the Virat Kohli - Ambati Rayudu 2019 WC controversy?
Before the 2019 World Cup, Ambati Rayudu was widely seen as India's first-choice No. 4 batter. He had performed consistently in ODI cricket and was repeatedly backed by the team management.
Also Read: Ambati Rayudu Bypasses BCCI To Set New Rules For SRH
But when India announced the 2019 World Cup squad, selectors surprisingly picked Vijay Shankar instead of Rayudu. Chief selectors described Shankar as a 'three-dimensional player'.
Though Virat Kohli never publicly criticised Ambati Rayudu, reports later suggested that the Kohli preferred players who offered more flexibility and all-round skills.
Ambati Rayudu’s emotional World Cup regret
Ambati Rayudu went on to enjoy a brilliant IPL career. Across 204 IPL matches, he scored 4,348 runs and became one of only two players alongside Rohit Sharma to win six IPL titles.
His best IPL season came in 2018 when he scored 602 runs for Chennai Super Kings. Yet, despite all the success, the pain of missing the World Cup still appears to stay with him.
In an emotional interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Ambati Rayudu admitted that he would happily trade all six IPL trophies for just one opportunity to play in a World Cup match for India.
Q. Would you trade your 6 IPL Titles for one World Cup medal ?
Ambati Rayudu : "I would trade those just to get a game in the World Cup."
Sakshi's point of view on the matter
In my opinion, Ambati Rayudu deserved better communication and greater respect from the Indian team management before the 2019 World Cup.
The biggest reason the controversy still survives is that Ambati Rayudu had been consistently projected as India’s No. 4 batter for a long time before suddenly being dropped.
Virat Kohli may not have directly insulted Rayudu publicly, but as captain, he indirectly became the face of the decision and has been criticised for this choice to date.
Rayudu's recent statement about trading six IPL titles for one World Cup game perfectly explains how deeply the decision affected him.
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