Ambati Rayudu being dropped from the Indian squad as he failed to clear the yo-yo test and since then he became the talk of the town ahead of England tour. He was picked by the selectors on the back some sensational performances in the IPL but then he was dropped as he failed to score 16.1 in the yo-yo test. Gautam Gambhir is the newest member to criticise the team management for dropping him and feels that it was unfair.
Rayudu was the fourth highest run-getter of the IPL season this year. He amassed 602 runs in 16 outings at an average of 43 and a phenomenal strike-rate of 149.75 which led to him making a comeback to the limited-overs format for England tour which was due after the IPL.
ALSO READ: Sehwag and Gambhir will join DDCA Cricket Committee
Gautam Gambhir, while speaking to Aaj Tak, pointed out that performance should be the major parameter for a cricketer to get picked in the team. He felt that it is the job of the trainer to look after his fitness if a player like Rayudu is not meeting the required expectations. He said, “What is more important is performance. Suppose if a certain player is scoring close to 15 in yo-yo test, then it is the responsibility of the trainer to improve his fitness and take him to 16.1 or whatever the benchmark is. If they are bringing in fit players itself then what is the job of the trainer?”
Gambhir also went on to add that Rayudu shouldn’t have been dropped only on the grounds of failing the yo-yo test. He had scored a huge amount of runs to come back into the contention for the national squad and the management should’ve given him some time to attain the required fitness to pass the yo-yo test.
The southpaw concluded, “Rayudu performed exceptionally well in the IPL but he was dropped only because of yo-yo test. If his score was around 14.5, the team management should’ve given him one month to work with the trainer and improve his fitness in order to clear the yo-yo test. Even if he wouldn’t have achieved the score then it was fair to drop him. You never know India would’ve won the ODI series against England by 2-1 if Rayudu would’ve played in the middle-order where the visitors struggled.”
