Ambati Rayudu set to pad up again

Hyderabad: As Indian cricket's corporate structure looks to unleash Twenty20 cricket, the game looks to be going into the revival mode.

Yet, at the same time, the domestic scene will see an extremely talented batsman make his return to the crease yet again, in a bid to revive his sagging fortunes.

From being India's next big batting hope to probably an also-ran, 20-year-old Rayudu is all set to play for the Hyderabad Ranji team again this season. This could be the second beginning of his career.

Rayudu was shifted from Hyderabad to the Andhra team following a rift with the son of secretary of Hyderabad cricket Association Shivlal Yadav.

Rayudu considers the shift as a bad phase of his cricketing career and wants to forget it as soon as possible.

"It was pretty difficult. It was not easy for me to play for a new team. It was a bad phase. I want to forget it as early as possible. I am happy that I am back with the old mates," says Rayudu.

Rayudu has scored 2,380 runs in first class cricket matches and came into prominence with some eye-catching performances in junior cricket.

He made his Ranji debut in 2001 when he was just 16. He had the dream of playing for the national team in his teens. But the shift to a different team put him on the backtrack. Now he says that he has stopped dreaming.

"Aspirations, dreams are many. It’s not time for me to dream. I have to play well and make big scores, then only can I start thinking of dreams again," he says.

Experts believe that Rayudu has to start from scratch again and the road ahead is not easy for him.

Maan Singh, Former manager of the Indian cricket team says, "Now that Rayudu is back with Hyderabad, he’ll have to start from scratch. All that he gained is now lost. He has to play a new innings."

But many believe that Rayudu has many more years of cricket and he will certainly make it to the national team soon. But, he needs to perform consistently.

Vanka Pratap, a former Ranji player for Hyderabad says, "The way Rayudu started his career, people had many expectations. Suddenly he went in a bad patch. He can get back, for that he has to perform well again."

All those who have seen Rayudu playing on the field know that he is talented. But, many among them have a question in mind.

The question is, why hasn't Rayudu made it to the national team yet? The answer seems to be that Rayudu is a victim of politics.

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