Rayudu's exit is India's loss

New Delhi (PTI): A career that almost always fell apart after promising to fall into place -- Ambati Rayudu will be remembered as someone who could not live up to his rare cricketing talent, undone by a mercurial demeanour that often led to run-ins with authorities.

His cricketing journey ended abruptly on Wednesday after a heart-breaking and baffling World Cup snub. In his mail to the BCCI, the usually outspoken Rayudu chose not to blame anyone and instead thanked the captains he played under. Considering his temperamental persona, the 33-year-old's retirement did not come as a shock after Mayank Agarwal replaced the injured Vijay Shankar in the Indian team ahead of Rayudu despite the Hyderabad cricketer being in the list of reserves.

Rayudu saw more downs than ups in his chequered career comprising 55 ODIs and six T20s.He averaged over 47 in ODIs. Many touted him as the next big thing in Indian cricket when he made his first-class debut as a 16-year-old. He made waves the following Ranji Trophy season, 2002-03, when amassing 698 runs including a double century and a century in the same match against Andhra Pradesh. It seemed things were falling into place when he captained India to the U-19 World Cup semifinals in Bangladesh.

However, an inconsistent run with the bat in the next couple of seasons and constant run-ins with Hyderabad coaches and officials adversely affected his career-graph. His life took a tumultuous turn when as a 21-year-old, he opted to play in the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League. At that stage, it seemed Rayudu's dream to play for India will remain unfulfilled with the ICL deal but he was back in the BCCI fold after he accepted its amnesty offer.

He rose to prominence once again with stellar performances for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and at the age of 27, finally made his India debut in Zimbabwe in 2013, scoring an unbeaten 63 at Harare. Between 2014-15, he represented India in 27 ODIs before making a comeback to play three games the following year. He was even in the 2015 World Cup squad but did not get a game. A second wind in his international career came in 2018 when he was picked for the Asia Cup where he had a decent outing, including two fiftys. The following home series against the West Indies fetched him high returns and it started to look like India have finally locked on their number four.

One of his most memorable knocks came in New Zealand earlier this year, a 90 in a winning cause, showing that he could also deliver against the bigger teams. However, just when he thought he had done enough to secure his World Cup spot, runs deserted him in the home rubber against Australia, India's last before the mega event in the UK.

"Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup," Rayudu had quipped on his Twitter account on April 16. This was directed at chairman of selectors MSK Prasad for not selecting him in the 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup in England.

Justifying his decision to fly Vijay Shankar instead of Rayudu to the World Cup, Prasad had explained how Shankar's all-round abilities gave him a leg-up.

"We did give a few more chances to Rayudu but Vijay Shankar gives three dimensions. He can bat, if the conditions are overcast, he can bowl, plus he is a fielder. We are looking at Vijay Shankar as a No. 4," he had said.

Ever since the infamous 3D tweet, for which he has been trolled mercilessly over the course of two months, the dejected Rayudu had almost gone into "hiding" until Wednesday.

I have come to decision to step away from the sport and retire from all forms and levels of the game. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the BCCI and all the state associations that I have represented which include Hyderabad, Baroda, Andhra and Vidharbha," Rayudu wrote. "It has been a honour and privilege to have represented our country." "I would like to thank the captains I have played under, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and especially Virat kohli who always had shown great belief in me throughout my career with the Indian team. "It has been a wonderful journey of playing the sport and learning from every up and down it brought up on for the last 25 years at various different levels.