‘Rayudu should have played the 2019 World Cup….it was a huge blunder,’ says Anil Kumble

Ambati Rayudu had the fairytale final chapter to his Indian cricket career as the 37-year-old helped Chennai Super Kings lift the 2023 Indian Premier League title in his last appearance in the league.
Rayudu had announced ahead of the final against Gujarat Titans that the season concluder would be his final appearance in IPL. Following the game, the CSK middle order batter announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket.
In his 204 league games, Rayudu scored 4348 runs and won the league six times, a joint highest record he holds alongside Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma.
Former India coach Anil Kumble believes that the record holder, who was part of India’s 2015 ODI World Cup squad, should have been in the squad for the next edition of the tournament in England and Wales.
“Rayudu should have played the 2019 World Cup. Oh yes, there’s no doubt about it. It was a huge blunder. You prepared him for that role for so long and his name just disappears from the squad. It was surprising nonetheless,” Kumble said on Jio Cinema during the IPL 2023 Final show.
Rayudu had been India’s top run scorer in the Asia Cup the year before and had played a pivotal role in CSK winning IPL 2018 but was omitted from the squad for all-rounder Vijay Shankar.

“He always wants to contribute and he has been a fantastic cricketer. I’ve been playing with him for a long time, since the India A tours. He’s a player who can play spin and pace equally well. It is something really special. I felt he would do something really special, I’m really happy for him. This game will be one he will remember, he’s also like me – not someone who uses the phone often. What’s important is that he has had a fantastic career and I hope he enjoys the next phase of his life,” CSK captain MS Dhoni would say of Rayudu following the title win in Ahmedabad in the early hours of Tuesday.