Gautam Gamhbir slams Indian selectors after Ambati Rayudu’s retirement

Gautam Gamhbir slams Indian selectors: Former Indian opener held the selectors responsible for Rayudu hanging his boots.

Former India opening batsman Gautam Gambhir considers Ambati Rayudu’s sudden retirement as a “sad moment” for Indian cricket. The latter had announced his retirement in the morning after he was ignored several times for selection in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

“A cricketer like him [Ambati Rayudu] that has played so well in the IPL and for the nation, scored three 100’s and ten 50’s, and despite that if a player has to retire – it is a sad moment for Indian cricket,” Gambhir was quoted as saying during the pre-match show of the England vs New Zealand 2019 World Cup league match.

While Rayudu didn’t make it to the original squad, he was overlooked not once but thrice as he didn’t make the cut even when India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan and all-rounder Vijay Shankar got injured during the tournament.

Gautam Gamhbir slams Indian selectors

Further expressing his grief, Gambhir mentioned that any cricketer in Rayudu’s place would have felt equally bad. The current BJP MP also compared Rayudu’s performance with that of the combined performance of the five Indian selectors.

“Five selectors combined would not have made the runs Rayudu has in his career. I feel extremely sad about this retirement. Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal got selected amidst the World Cup injuries, and anyone in Rayudu’s place would have felt equally bad” Gambhir added.

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Before concluding, Gambhir labelled the selection for this World Cup as a “complete disappointment”, holding it responsible for Rayudu’s retirement.

“According to me, the selectors have been a complete disappointment this World Cup. Rayudu’s retirement decision is because of them and their decision-making skills are to be blamed for this,” Gambhir further added.