'It's not an easy league, it was fantastic' - Ambati Rayudu reflects on victorious WCL campaign

Ambati Rayudu, the top-scorer of the final of the inaugural season of the World Championship of Legends, who crafted a blazing fifty off just 30 balls in the memorable five-wicket triumph, shared his thoughts on the achievement in a recent conversation.

Rayudu expressed it as a remarkable achievement, noting the challenge of competing in such a prestigious tournament alongside active cricketers. He emphasized that India Champions, lacking current active players, needed to elevate their performance. Rayudu also underscored the team's challenging period, with three consecutive losses while chasing targets, but praised their resilience and mental fortitude in bouncing back strongly during the semi-final and final matches to achieve absolute glory. 

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"It was fantastic. It's hard not playing cricket and then coming and playing such a good tournament. And especially since there are a lot of guys who are playing active cricket. It's not an easy league. It was fantastic. So, we had to up our game. We had quite a few bad games. But still, we had the mindset and the mental strength to really come out in these last two games and do well," shared Rayudu while speaking on Star Sports.

I mean the way they have played in this tournament, it's fantastic: Rayudu

Rayudu also made a special mention of the team captain, Yuvraj Singh, for consistently fostering confidence and team unity, along with acknowledging Harbhajan Singh and the management. He proceeded to commend Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan for their outstanding performances in the tournament. Rayudu also expressed admiration for Robin Uthappa's explosive and dynamic contributions while opening the batting throughout. In conclusion, he acknowledged Pakistan Champions for their commendable tournament performance, expressing satisfaction with being on the winning side and conveying the team's happiness.

And special mention to Yuvraj Singh. He has really kept the team positive and also instilled that confidence that we needed. It's all credit to the team management and Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh. And also Irfan, Yusuf, I mean the way they have played in this tournament, it's fantastic. And Robin Uthappa, the way he has been opening. Even the Pakistan team, they have played really well in the tournament. It's hard always to lose in the finals. But no complaints. We are happy,” added Rayudu.

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There couldn’t be a better phase of Indian cricket going on. Not even three weeks since the men’s team rose to the occasion to crush their ICC trophy drought in Barbados, the seasoned contingent did the same, winning the World Championship of Legends 2024 in Birmingham. India Women concluded a commanding series across all formats against South Africa Women, securing victories in the ODI and Test series before leveling the 20-over leg.