Ambati Rayudu's fine knock of 105 resurrected India A's floundering innings as the team posted a challenging 339 in their first innings on the second day of the first unofficial cricket Test against New Zealand A in Lincoln, New Zealand, on Thursday.
Photos of the IPL match between Hyderabad Sunrisers and Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai Indians rode on Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard's swashbuckling knocks and their unbroken 122-run sixth-wicket partnership to stage a dramatic fightback and beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in their Indian Premier League match in Bangalore.
Rest of India batsman Ambati Rayudu, who cracked an unbeaten 118 against Mumbai, is happy with the way his batting is shaping up but said he needs to convert the fifties into hundreds.
The Hyderabad batsman created a frenzy by tweeting that he plans to buy 3D glasses to watch the showpiece which begins May 30 in the UK.
Sachin Tendulkar acknowledged the brilliant batting effort by the young batsmen of Mumbai Indians as they recorded a stunning four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match in Mohali on Wednesday.
New Zealand batting great Kane Williamson praised Nitish Rana's match-winning 36-ball 81 against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
'The holes that CSK will try to fill are ones of captaincy, which I believe Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to take over.'
Former India ODI captain Ajay Jadeja feels that Ambati Rayudu's international debut will be an inspiration for all those "eternal hopefuls" who want to don the national colours.
Sachin Tendulkar was all praise for young Ambati Rayudu who smashed an unbeaten 63 during Mumbai Indians' nine-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Ambati Rayudu (34) and Robin Peterson (16) creamed leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for 27 runs in the penultimate over to enable Mumbai Indians snatch a stunning four-wicket over Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match, in Mohali, on Wednesday.
Naman Ojha and Ambati Rayudu hit unbeaten centuries each to rescue India A to 285 for five in their second innings on the fourth and final day as the unofficial Test match against Australia A ended in a draw at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
The ban was imposed by ICC Match Referee John Morrison and means that Rayudu will miss the match against Pakistan on 29 February.
The view on having Pant on board, if Dhawan is ousted, was echoed by former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.
Former players lauded Varun Chakravarthy's bowling display against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, with Ravi Shastri advocating for his inclusion in the semifinals.
The trend of players plying their trade in overseas leagues right after their retirement from international cricket or IPL has irked the board.
Gaikwad had scores of 15, 1, 46 and 26 in the first four games before striking big against KKR on Monday, which was his first half-century of the current season.
'I know that the CSK squad is deep, they've got a lot of options at the top, but I also believe that as much as the pressure is now on to find that No. 3, it's just probably the most challenging time that I can look for anyway for CSK.'
Star attraction Shane Bond claimed three wickets but the day belonged to Mumbaikar Sahil Kukreja (157 not out) and Hyderabad's Ambati Rayudu (133) who hit scintillating centuries on the opening day of the second round league matches of the Buchi Babu Memorial Trophy in Chennai on Wednesday.
The Indian selection committee has its task cut out when it zeroes in on the replacement for Ambati Rayudu's in India's ODI squad for the three-match series against England after the veteran right-hander failed the YoYo Test.
India reached Dubai for the inter-continental tournament without Kohli, who has been rested by the selectors owing to excess workload.
West Zone turned in a profession bating display to beat North Zone by five wickets and win the Deodhar Trophy in Guwahati on Wednesday. Put in to bat in the final, North put up a commendable 289 for 8 in 50 overs, courtesy Unmukt Chand's scratchy 88 and Yuvraj Singh's useful 67. In reply, Ambati Rayudu anchored the chase with a well-made, unbeaten 78 as West successfully reached the target in 48.2 overs.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday was ruled out of the ongoing tri-series in the West Indies, due to a hamstring injury.
'The players need to accept him as their leader. A decision has been made, and the team needs to function as a unit.'
Ambati Rayudu has played for three Ranji Trophy sides in a career spanning a little more than a decade -- excluding the two years (2007-09) during which he was banned by the BCCI for playing in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Ambati Rayudu will be aiming to make a statement when a marauding Chennai Super Kings take on a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad
Abhinav Mukund and skipper Ambati Rayudu struck half-centuries as India A gained a slight edge, reaching 342 for six against South Africa A, thereby taking a 82-run lead at stumps on the second day of the second and final unofficial 'Test'.
The move comes after the 33-year-old was snubbed by the Indian team management, who preferred Mayank Agarwal as replacement for an injured Vijay Shankar in the World Cup squad.
Rayudu had pulled out of the coming Ranji Trophy tournament attacking the Hyderabad Cricket Association
Khaleel Ahmed and Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets each after centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu as India demolished West Indies by 224 runs, in the fourth ODI in Mumbai on Monday.
Opener Ambati Raydu scored his maiden century in the Indian Premier League as Chennai Super Kings coasted to an easy eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad to virtually seal a play-offs berth, in Pune, on Sunday.
Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath and pacer Praveen Kumar are expected to get call-ups when the national selectors meet in Chennai on Friday to pick India's ODI squad for the tour of the West Indies amid indications that a few seniors will be rested.
Statistical highlights of the third ODI between India and England in Nottingham.
An elated Ambati Rayudu on Thursday said his maiden hundred in international cricket, which helped India crush Sri Lanka in the second One-Day International, will certainly be a "special one" as it took a long time to come.
India overcame a disastrous start to beat New Zealand by 35 runs in the fifth and final One-Day International in Wellington on Sunday and finish the series with a 4-1 scoreline in their favour.
The surprise decision not to consider Ambati Rayudu for the World Cup was devoid of any bias, said chief selector MSK Prasad.
Ordered 3D glasses to watch World Cup: Rayudu after exclusion
India captain Virat Kohli again backed Ambati Rayudu for the critical number four slot after the "intelligent" batsman reposed his skipper's faith with a less-than-a-run-a-ball century in the fourth ODI against the West Indies, in Mumbai, on Monday.
'Who are all batting in pressure situations? The young Indian batters and Dinesh Karthik. The big international names, who are supposed to take the pressure, where are they? All are back in the dressing room.'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni reunited with former CSK team-mate Suresh Raina.
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