Gagan Khoda was part of the selection committee which picked the India squad for the 2019 event.
India batsman Ambati Rayudu was in contention for the World Cup 2019 squad but was not picked when the final squad was announced. He was a regular feature in the Indian team, leading upto the tournament.
It was still expected that the Hyderabad batsman will make it to the squad, yet when the team was announced, Rayudu's name was missing. Many found it unfair as he was given a long rope before the tournament.
ALSO READ: "I am also hurt", MSK Prasad reflects upon contentious call to drop Ambati Rayudu
MSK Prasad-led selection committee preferred all-rounder Vijay Shankar over Rayudu for the tournament and that's when the latter had posted his infamous 3D tweet taking a jibe at the selectors.
Former India selector Gagan Khoda wasn't surprised with Rayudu's omission from the World Cup squad. He felt the confidence wasn't there and the performance was also not up to the mark.
“Ambati Rayudu was experienced and you were looking at the World Cup. We carried on with him for a year but we felt he was getting stagnant. The confidence level going into the World Cup wasn’t there. We couldn’t get any youngster in because the tournament was in England also.”, he said in an interview with Sportskeeda.
Rayudu was upset with the decision and had announced retirement from cricket. But he came back to captain Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.