IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla welcome Ambati Rayudu’s return to cricket

Back on July 3, 2019, Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu decided to hang his boots from all forms of cricket. The decision was understood to have come after sheer disappointment following his 2019 World Cup snub. The Guntur-born was one of the backups and despite Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar getting injured, the right-hander wasn’t called upon by the selectors.

Now, the Hyderabad batsman gave his decision a second thought and took a U-turn, coming out of retirement. The experienced batter wrote a letter to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and made himself available for selection. After the sudden move, the netizens trolled him severely on the social media platforms. Some of them even called him India’s Shahid Afridi.

David and Shukla praise Ambati Rayudu

In the meantime, Rajeev Shukla, the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) shared his opinions on Rayudu’s move. He stated that the cricketer made the decision out of emotions and it’s now up to the selectors whether he will take the field or not.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “I think @RayuduAmbati has taken a right decision by coming back to Indian cricket in all formats I had also told him then to reconsider it as it was taken out of emotions He has got enough cricket in himself. Selectors will take a call at an appropriate time,” his tweet read.

Here is Rajeev Shukla’s tweet:

I think @RayuduAmbati has taken a right decision by coming back to Indian cricket in all formats I had also told him then to reconsider it as it was taken out of emotions He has got enough cricket in himself Selectors will take call at appropriate time

— Rajeev Shukla (@ShuklaRajiv) August 30, 2019

Apart from Shukla, a few other renowned dignitaries in the Indian cricketing fraternity have welcomed Rayudu’s return to the game. One of them was Noel David, the HCA chief selector, who believes that even in his 30s, Ambati Rayudu has a fair amount of cricket left in him.

David also lauded him for admitting his mistake. “It is not an easy decision to make. It takes a lot of humility and courage to admit a mistake,” David was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with The Times of India (TOI).

“I am really excited about Rayudu’s comeback. There is still a lot of cricket left in him and I am sure that he will be a big boon to Hyderabad cricket. He has my full backing and it’s now up to him to help the team reach greater heights,” David, also a former Indian cricketer, added.

Watch: 5 Players who should’ve retired after 2019 World Cup but didn’t