Selectors decision-making skills are to be blamed for Ambati Rayudu retirement, says Gautam Gambhir

Ambati Rayudu has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after being overlooked twice in two months from being selected in India's World Cup squad and that triggered a chain of reactions from players and fans alike. Gautam Gambhir, who has been a vocal supporter of the Hyderabad batsman, has left no stone unturned to rip the selectors apart and solely put the blame on them. 

"According to me, the selectors have been a complete disappointment this World Cup. Rayudu's retirement decision is because of them and their decision-making skills are to be blamed for this," Gambhir said on Star Sports’ build-up show Cricket Live.

"Five selectors combined would not have made the runs Rayudu has in his career. I feel extremely sad about this retirement. Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal got selected amidst the World Cup injuries, and anyone in Rayudu's place would have felt equally bad," the former Indian opener added.

Rayudu has 55 ODIs to his name, scoring 1694 runs at an average of 47.05 and was in the spotlight before the World Cup. He was even declared the preferred number four batsman by Virat Kohli in July 2018, but he was ignored as Vijay Shankar got the nod in India's final squad for the big event. That didn’t go down well with Gambhir who called Rayudu’s retirement a sad day for Indian cricket.

"A cricketer like him who has played so well in the IPL and for the nation, scored three 100's and ten 50's, and despite that, if a player has to retire — it is a sad moment for Indian cricket," Gambhir added.