“Phone Hi Nahin Rehta Hai”: Ambati Rayudu Once Told Harbhajan Singh Why He Doesn’t Use A Mobile

Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu is known for his inherently reserved nature. His natural tendency of remaining quiet has also led people to misunderstand it as lack of confidence – something which he has refuted time and again. Rayudu, who often shies away from public appearances, is not even a fan of using a mobile phone as conveyed by him in an interaction with former spinner Harbhajan Singh on Bhajji Blast with CSK.

Forget about using it, Rayudu hadn’t kept a mobile phone for nine years whilst preparing for his India debut as he wanted to stay away from all the distractions from the outside world. In this day and age of internet, where leading a life without a mobile phone almost seems implausible, Rayudu preferring to stay away from it puts him in a rare category.

One of the lucky individuals to have received a phone call from Rayudu once, Singh was left surprised when the former called him from his wife’s number once. during one of their Indian Premier League stint at .

“Bhajju Pa, phone hi nahin rehta hai, woh bhi biwi ka number hai. Mere ko aisa lagta hai ki agar main koi cheez ke baare mein soch raha hoon, agar koi call aaya to woh thought ruk jaati hai [Harbhajan, I don’t have a phone, it was my wife’s number. I believe that if I am thinking about something, a phone call could hamper my thought-process],” Rayudu told Qu Play in 2018.

 

It appears as if Rayudu is inspired by the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with whom he rubbed shoulders at Chennai Super Kings across six seasons. Also known for not keeping a mobile phone with him, Dhoni had missed former batter VVS Laxman‘s retirement news due to the same. Astonishingly, Dhoni hadn’t even shared his phone number with Ravi Shastri in spite of him working with the Indian cricket team between 2014-2021.

Why Did Ambati Rayudu Apologize To Harbhajan Singh?

Both no longer part of the biggest T20 league now, Ambati Rayudu and Harbhajan Singh enjoyed a successful decade-long Indian Premier League association during their playing days. Between 2010-2017, an eight year stint for Mumbai Indians was immediately followed by spending a couple of years at Super Kings.

As teammates, the pair was part of four title-winning IPL campaigns in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018 and two title-winning Champions League Twenty20 campaigns in 2011 and 2013.

However, during an IPL 2016 game between Mumbai and Rising Pune Supergiants, both of them were involved in an ugly spat at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

With Saurabh Tiwary pulling Singh and Rayudu failing to stop a boundary towards the deep mid-wicket region despite a desperate dive, the senior bowler wasn’t impressed at all. What followed were a few uncalled for words from him which weren’t rightly accepted by Rayudu as he, too, didn’t shy away from reciprocating in the same manner.

While both men first started walking towards each other in rage, a mature Singh was quick to settle things by putting an arm around Rayudu. Not seemingly convinced at first, Rayudu eventually made peace with him to happily move on by keeping a rare dispute between teammates limited to the ground. Not letting their equation get affected by it, Rayudu didn’t mind apologizing to Singh publicly yet again during Bhajji Blast with CSK.