Not long ago, having being rejected by the selectors for failing to pass the yo-yo test, Ambati Rayudu has made a strong statement on his comeback journey and, it has now been felt by the Indian captain Virat Kohli that the Hyderabad batsman has solved the problem of No.4 spot in the one-day team.
A brilliant 100 in the 4th ODI against the Windies in Mumbai has taken Rayudu to a new high and status in the Indian team.
It has been a topsy-turvy journey for the 33-year-old this year. He had a wonderful IPL season for the title winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) where he even slammed his maiden century. Riding on his red-hot form, he was picked for the ODI series in England, but before he could celebrate his selection, there was a shocker of sorts when he could not make the trip as he failed to pass the yo-yo test by a close margin.
However, he stormed back into the Indian team for the 2018 Asian Cup in Dubai. The Hyderabad skipper was one of the architects of Rohit-Sharma-led team which won the title by defeating Bangladesh in the final. It was then when for the first time, Rayudu was given a sense of security by head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Kohli that he would be batting at the top order.
What did Rayudu give up?
Ambati Rayudu, while speaking to the former Indian cricketers – Mohammad Kaif and VVS Laxman on Star Sports, recalled how he transformed his eating habits which helped him drastically in getting extremely fit which has become one of the important criteria to be in Team India these days.
Hailing from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, Rayudu revealed that he loves Biryani a lot and had to give it up in order to play for India again. He also went on to add that he hasn’t tasted Biryani from last three months.
