Ambati Rayudu talks about MS Dhoni’s influence on the team

Ambati Rayudu has been drafted into the Asia Cup squad after having been left out of the England tour due to a failed Yo-Yo test.

After having a brilliant IPL, wherein Rayudu proved to be the lynchpin of the CSK batting, it was assumed that Rayudu would solve India’s no.4 problem. However, the Yo-Yo Test mishap meant that Rayudu had to further wait for his chance to wear that India jersey again.

Now, he is looking forward to this massive Asia Cup chance, one where he can cement his place in the Indian XI.

“To be very honest, (I) haven’t thought about it (middle-order) or looked at it as a competition. It’s just an opportunity to express myself and (I) don’t want to put more pressure to my game by thinking about these” Rayudu said talking about the middle order slot.

I don’t think anybody is actually thinking about the World Cup. We are in for the Asia Cup and nobody is thinking about the World Cup right now” he added.

He showered praise on Dhoni, for being the go-to man in Indian cricket, one that almost everyone looks upto.

He rues that fact that Kohli isn’t playing in the Asia Cup, but feels that the team has enough firepower to go all the way.

“Obviously, he (Virat) is a big miss and loss to the team. However, we still have enough quality in the team to go out and win. He (Dhoni) has been India’s captain and always been the go-to man for everybody in the team,” Rayudu said

“He (Dhoni) has helped me a lot in terms of how I recovered this season.” he added.

He spoke about the time when he was left out of the England tour owing to poor fitness and how it affected him, but conceded that he is happy to be back in the mix again.

“Obviously it was frustrating to miss out on the England tour. But I’m happy that I can come back and give the test and get picked to play in the Asia Cup.

“This year I played well in the IPL. The main thing is that I feel age doesn’t matter as long as you are fit.” he said

About India’s crammed fixtures in the Asia Cup, with the team scheduled to play on two consecutive days, Rayudu felt that it won’t be much of a problem.

“I don’t think it will be a disadvantage. It will be definitely tough and I’m sure we will do best possible things to recover and go out fresh to play the next game.” Rayudu concluded.