Senior Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has rejoined Baroda for the upcoming domestic season. His pathway to joining the Baroda team was cleared after Rayudu was given a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Andhra Cricket Association.
Now, the 36-year-old is available to play all formats for the Baroda side. He last played a first-class game in November 2017. This is not the first time Rayudu is going to represent Baroda, as he has played for this team from 2012 to 2014. Rayudu has, in fact, travelled quite a bit in the domestic circuit, having represented Hyderabad, Andhra and Vidarbha.
Notably, Rayudu has phenomenal numbers in First-Class cricket. He has played 97 matches and scored 6151 runs at a remarkable average of 45.56. The right-handed batter has also smashed 34 half-centuries and 16 hundreds. When it comes to the List-A format, Rayudu has appeared in 172 matches and has accumulated 5479 runs, with 124 not out being his highest.
While Rayudu is set to represent Baroda again, the team is also trying to get back their star batter Deepak Hooda. Notably, Hooda had left Baroda in late 2020 after a fallout with then captain Krunal Pandya. Thereafter, the right-handed batter moved to Rajasthan and spent a successful season before getting picked for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, where he teamed up with Krunal.
“As far as I know, they get along as well as they did earlier. They have cleared their differences. They played and excelled together for the same IPL team. They have sorted whatever issues they have,” said Shishir Hattangadi, the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) chief executive, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“While we are hopeful of Hooda’s return, we can’t say for sure because from a cricketing perspective, it was Rajasthan who opened their doors for him when he needed a team. From our side, we’re making an effort. We’ll have to wait for a final call,” he added.
