Ambati Rayudu Retires From "Longer Format Of The Game"

Ambati Rayudu has never represented the national team in Test cricket since he started playing for Team India in 2013. However, the Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli recently opined that the 33-year-old Ambati Rayudu will be the right person to solve no.4 conundrum in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs). With the 50-over Cricket World Cup nearing, the injury-prone Ambati Rayudu on Saturday opted out of the "longest format of the game" to concentrate on the shorter formats. Earlier in the year, Rayudu had earned a national call-up for the England tour but was dropped after failing the 'Yo-Yo' test.

According to reports in the Indian media, Ambati Rayudu, who represented Hyderabad in first-class cricket, in an e-mail to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) spoke about his decision.

"I have made a decision to retire from the longer format of the game keeping in view my injury history and my body going forward. This would help me focus on the shorter formats of the game and become much better at them and also will have time to keep my body in an extremely fit condition," Ambati Rayudu wrote in his email.

"I really would thank the Hyderabad Cricket Association and the BCCI for helping me get to where I am. I would also take this moment to thank my previous Associations Andhra, Baroda and Vidharbha for their support," Rayudu added.

Rayudu has the experience of 97 first-class matches under his belt. He averaged 45.56 with 6,151 runs in this format.

However, while playing for the national team, Rayudu has impressed in the shorter formats and scored at an average of 51.67 in the 50-over format.

In the recently concluded ODI series against the Windies, Rayudu notched up 217 runs from four innings with one century and a half-century to his name.