Ambati Rayudu failed once again in the third ODI against Australia in Ranchi and fans on social media have lashed out against him, asking the team management to drop him.
India made a disastrous start to a big run chase by losing both their openers -- Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan -- early and the stage was perfectly stage for Rayudu to silence his critics. But the 33-year-old failed to make a mark as he was dismissed for just 2 runs by a Pat Cummins delivery.
Rayudu did not look comfortable in his short stay at the crease before he was beaten all ends up by a Cummins delivery which castled his off stump. The batsman crouched as the ball shattered his stumps as if to indicate the ball kept low but it did not and he was simply done by a ball he missed. The ball pitched on a good length at good pace and moved slightly off the seam to expose Rayudu's technical deficiency against pace bowling.
Rayudu's string of low scores has once again raised the perennial debate surrounding Indian cricket -- who will play at number 4 in the World Cup. Apart from his score of 90 against New Zealand in the fifth ODI at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, Rayudu has no half-centuries in his last ten innings. His scores are 0, 24, 13*, 47, 40*, 0, 13, 18, 2.
His failure naturally irked fans on Twitter who lashed out at the batsman hailing from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
Rayudu and Dhawan
— Keshav (@keshav4384) March 8, 2019
Why are you in Indian Team?
Senseless
KL and Raina in place of these two
Or KL and Pant!!#INDvAUS #TeamIndia
Ambati rayudu?????
— Jay (@i_m__jay) March 8, 2019
Isko lenge to pkka world cup gaya#INDvAUS
Rayudu to Kohli after being castled by Pat Cummins be like: Sirji, aur ek chance milega kya ? #INDvAUS #INDvsAUS #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/51tPIGjsWi
— Noel D'Souza (@Noel2589) March 8, 2019
Ambati rayudu for the world cup??#AUSvIND#INDvAUS
— praise the lord (@djdjftiroeldske) March 8, 2019
Selectors: pic.twitter.com/JZ5h5owgyd
I think it's save to say that we have seen the last of Ambati Rayudu for a while..#INDvAUS And probably it's #MSD last match at ranchi. Will he make it count let's see. @ImZaheer @kartikmurali
— amir hussain (@Iam_amir86) March 8, 2019
Enough of this Rayudu thing, nevr comfortable against top class fast bowling(as seen vs Cummins the whole series)& his body language in the field is abominable.
— Sanket D. Patil (@San4u8793) March 8, 2019
Worthy players like Karthik & Shreyas Iyer r overlooked for a guy who refuses to play Ranji.#INDvAUS #INDvsAUS @BCCI
Rayudu should be rested permanently. pathetic fielding, careless batting and what not, he is absolutely a joke #IndvAus
— sathish (@sathishkumar411) March 8, 2019
Earlier on, Virat Kohli won the toss and asked Australia to bat first. The Aussie openers took full advantage of the opportunity by scoring big runs. Skipper Aaron Finch returned to form by scoring 93 while his partner Usman Khawaja notched up his maiden ODI hundred.
In reply, India is three down and captain Kohli has been joined by former captain MS Dhoni in his home ground as the hosts look to regroup chasing 314 to seal the series.