No action on Rayudu for sarcastic tweet, says BCCI official
New Delhi: The sarcasm in Ambati Rayudu spelling out his World Cup plans after a much-debated selection snub isn’t lost on the BCCI but the governing body Wednesday said it has no plans of sanctioning the batsman.
The Hyderabadi, who was ignored in favour of all-rounder Vijay Shankar, on Tuesday created a frenzy by tweeting that he plans to buy 3D glasses to watch the showpiece which begins May 30 in the UK.
The 3D reference came a day after chairman of selectors MSK Prasad cited Shankar’s “three-dimensional qualities” to justify his selection.
The BCCI brass has taken a note but since it wasn’t a direct criticism of the selection policy, the parent body wants to let it go.
“We have taken note of what Rayudu has tweeted. (But) Let’s accept that emotions are running high at this moment. There is bound to be disappointment and there needs to be an outlet of expression as long as it’s not out of line,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on Wednesday.
“He will need some time to soak in the disappointment and it’s understandable. There is no need for sanctions. Also, he is one of our standbys. If any injury happens there is every chance, he would go,” the official said.
Rayudu missed out on World Cup berth after three failures against Australia at home last month.
Rayudu’s tweet has got more than 76,000 likes and 12,000 retweets so far.
The current selection committee has been largely consistent with its policies but there have been instances in which some players have expressed their disappointment at being snubbed.
Karun Nair had spoken about lack of communication after being dropped for the home series against the West Indies having not played a Test in England. Even Murali Vijay was reportedly unhappy at being dropped in the middle of the England series with rookie Prithvi Shaw coming in.
…Names Pant, Rayudu as standbys in World Cup squad
New Delhi: Young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu were on Wednesday named among the standbys in India’s squad for the World Cup, reigniting their dashed hopes of making the trip to the United Kingdom in case an injury setback hits the side.
Speedster Navdeep Saini also found a place in the list of three backups for the mega event that starts on May 30.
Pant and Rayudu’s exclusion from the squad of 15 created quite a stir on Monday. While Sunil Gavaskar called Pant’s omission surprising, the snub to Rayudu was questioned by Gautam Gambhir.
With the ICC (International Cricket Council) doing away with the practice of letting countries announce a probables’ list before the final squad, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) also has the option of including anyone apart from these three but it is unlikely to happen.
“Just like the ICC Champions Trophy, we have three standbys. Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu are the first and second standbys while Saini is the bowler in the list. So if anyone gets injured, as per requirement, one of the three will be going,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on Wednesday.(PTI)
