Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu is reportedly considering entering politics and may even contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Rayudu, who recently retired from professional Indian cricket, is said to be planning on joining the YSRCP party in his home state of Andhra Pradesh. The party’s chief, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is reportedly eager to have Rayudu run in the upcoming elections, though it is unclear which role he will play. Some of the party’s senior politicians believe that Rayudu should contest from either Ponnur or Guntur West segments for assembly polls, and for Lok Sabha elections, he should pick Machilipatnam.
Rayudu recently met with Reddy, describing the politician as a big inspiration for youngsters entering politics, adding that he is spearheading development in all the regions instead of concentrating on one area. After captaining Chennai Super Kings to victory in IPL 2023, Rayudu retired from all Indian cricket, focused instead on playing T20 cricket for Texas Super Kings, a team owned by Chennai Super Kings.
In a recent interview, Rayudu spoke about his career and how it was negatively impacted by some individuals. Despite setbacks, Rayudu remains determined to continue playing the sport he loves and is excited about the opportunities ahead. After being snubbed for the 2019 ODI World Cup, Rayudu famously tweeted Just ordered a new set of 3D glasses to watch the world cup in response to the then BCCI chief of selector MSK Prasad’s explanation that Vijay Shankar was preferred because they wanted a player with three-dimensional aspects.
A team selection is not done by an individual. Even if he deliberately wanted to or not, there are many other factors. There were certain people in team management. There was one Hyderabadi person. There were some instances when I was young when we did not get along. Small things which I did not like about them and some they did not like about me. And they have been built over a period of time. These were the same people I have dealt with for my entire career, Rayudu said in the TV9 Telugu interview.
