'It's always hard to start after a break' - Ambati Rayudu ahead of IPL 2021

Chennai Super Kings star Ambati Rayudu has started training for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batsman will have to play a big role if CSK wants to bounce back after the disastrous campaign in IPL 2020. CSK had failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time in their history during the last edition of the competition.

They finished at the seventh spot in the eight-team competition after managing just 6 wins in 14 games. Rayudu was one of the very few CSK batsmen who managed to perform decently with the bat. The veteran batsman was the second-highest run-scorer for CSK, scoring 359 runs in 12 games. Only Faf du Plessis had scored more than him in IPL 2020.

And as CSK looks to bounce back in IPL 2021, Rayudu has started his training to help his team perform well this season. The 35-year old has been an integral part of CSK since joining the franchise from Mumbai Indians in 2018. In his maiden season with CSK, he had scored more than 600 runs to guide the team to its third title. CSK will be hoping for a similar performance from their star man this year.

‘It’s always hard to start after a break’ – Ambati Rayudu

While Ambati Rayudu will be hoping for a good performance this season, things are not easy for him at the moment. Unlike most of the other batsmen, Rayudu is not playing consistently. The right-handed batsman last featured in a game in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he played for Andhra Pradesh in January. At the moment, Rayudu is just focusing on finding out where his game stands.

“It’s always hard to start after a break because, after Mushtaq Ali, I’ve not played much cricket. It’s been about a month and a half (without cricket), so it takes about 6-7 sessions to get back into that rhythm.

“Also, to understand where I need to be. We all understand where we need to be, but where we are right now is the most important realisation. It is about knowing where my game is at the moment,” Rayudu said in Episode 1 of AnbuDen Diaries (CSK’s video series on social media).

Rayudu is currently training with CSK skipper MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and a few other players in Chennai. Along with them, the likes of N. Jagadeesan, R. Sai Kishore and C. Hari Nishaanth are also participating in the training.