BCCI announces Ambati Rayudu's replacement for England tour

Ambati Rayudu has been officially dropped from the ODI squad after he failed to clear the yo-yo fitness test held the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. This was a great chance for him to seal his place in the One-Day as he was set to play at number 4 during the three ODIs in England. However, the selectors have now named a replacement for him which marks a comeback for yet another player in the team.

Rayudu was awarded for his sensational form in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he played for the eventual champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He was promoted to open the innings which changed the complexion of his career completely and won the matches single-handedly to his team. But the right-handed batsman failed to clear the fitness test and lost his place in the squad.

Who is the replacement?

According to the official website of the BCCI, the selectors have picked Suresh Raina as the replacement for Rayudu for the upcoming ODI series against England. The left-hander had earlier came back into the T20I side for the T20Is series against South Africa and also went on to play in the Nidahas Trophy.

The come back into the ODI side comes as a delighting news for him with the World Cup around the corner in the same country. If he manages to impress the selectors with his batting prowess, he might well cement his place for the mega event.

Raina last played in the 50-over format for India way back in 2015 in Mumbai against South Africa. He brings a wealth of experience to the ODI side and can also solve the problem of the sixth bowler in the team. He has so far played 223 One-Day Internationals and has amassed 5568 runs at an average of 35.46 and an amazing strike rate of 93.76. He would be itching to don the jersey again and play some memorable knocks for his team.

Updated ODI squad for England tour:

Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

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