ICC World Cup 2019: Ambati Rayudu announces retirement after BCCI overlooks him twice for Indian squad

ICC World Cup 2019: In a big surprise to cricket fans in India, cricketer Ambati Rayudu has announced his retirement from international cricket. This comes after the BCCI (Board of Cricket Council in India) selectors' committee chose two players, Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal, over him for the ICC World Cup Indian squad. The Indian batsman, who was listed in the reserves for the Indian cricket team for the World Cup, did not mention any specific reason for his early retirement. Unhappy over the BCCI's decision, 33-year-old Rayudu has said he would also not play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but was open to playing T20 leagues abroad.

Rayudu's track record in One Day Internationals (ODIs) has been decent. He scored 1,694 runs at an average of 47.05. He has three centuries, 10 fifties to his credit, and has a strike rate of 79.04. The BCCI had replaced Shikhar Dhawan with Rishabh Pant after Dhawan sustained hand injury in the first match between India and South Africa. After all-rounder Vijay Shankar sustained toe fracture during a practice session, the BCCI replaced him with Mayank Agarwal. An unhappy Rayudu had questioned the BCCI selectors' decision. He even posted a cheeky tweet, saying he had ordered "3d glasses to watch the world cup".

It also attached a picture mentioning the documents that are required to get permanent residency in the country. Rayudu fans have slammed the Iceland cricket for posting the tweet, saying it might be fun for people but not for the Indian cricketer, who they said should have been selected in the Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Edited by Manoj Sharma