The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 got here to an in depth with Chennai Super Kings beating Gujarat Titans within the ultimate. With the sixteenth version of the IPL, the profession of veteran batter Ambati Rayudu additionally got here to an in depth. While his Team India stint had ended just a few years in the past, Rayudu give up all types of the sport after the IPL. Sharing some fascinating anecdotes from Rayudu’s profession, former India batter Aakash Chopra recalled the CSK star’s teenage days, saying he was chosen with the hope of being the ‘subsequent Sachin Tendulkar‘.

“Let me share a little anecdote about my first meeting with Ambati Rayudu. It was in 2003, it was India A’s tour to the West Indies. A small kid named Ambati Rayudu was picked there. He would have probably been 16 years old at that time,” Chopra mentioned in a video on his YouTube channel.

“He was selected with the hope that he will be the next Sachin Tendulkar, that the boy is extremely talented. He is like the prodigy, that he could bat, fields extremely well and could bowl too,” he added.

The cricketer-turned-pundit revealed that the senior gamers within the group got particular directions to handle Rayudu as he was thought-about a prodigy.

“Ashok Malhotra was our coach there and there were special directions to him from the selectors to take care of the kid because he is India’s future. VVS Laxman was the captain on the tour and he had seen the kid playing in Hyderabad. So he was impressed but when you are making the team you need to take all things into account.

“Our group did not have a single off-spinner. It was an especially fascinating group choice. We had Murali Kartik as a left-arm spinner and Amit Mishra as a leg-spinner. In batting, we had Gautam Gambhir, Connor Williams, myself, VVS Laxman and Abhijit Kale. So Ambati Rayudu received an opportunity to play in such a group,” he revealed.

As a result, Rayudu ended up having a horrible time as a spinner.

“The poor man received to bat very low within the order and he was requested to bowl off-spin in between, which the poor man was unable to do. He was typically pitching the ball on his personal legs or the batters’ legs, full tosses at different occasions, and wicket-taking balls in between.”

“I bear in mind the short-leg and midwicket fielders was barely scared each time Ambati got here to bowl as a result of the West Indies guys used to hit very onerous. So you have been scared since you have been within the firing line. I was at quick leg, so I used to ask him to not bowl quick.”