Ambati Rayudu was left out of the 2019 World Cup squad at the last moment.
On Sunday (October 22), Gambhir didn’t mince his words as he termed the BCCI selection committee led by MSK Prasad as "the worst selection committee in the history of Indian cricket."
Gambhir's criticism was mainly directed at India’s No. 4 conundrum leading up to the 2019 World Cup. There were a lot of changes made to the crucial batting slot, and yet the middle-order flattered to deceive during the showpiece event in England and Wales.
Ambati Rayudu, who did well at No. 4 for the major chunk of 2018 and early 2019, was left out of the World Cup squad, much to the shock of cricket fans and experts.
"My belief is that in the history of cricket, India had the worst selection committee. The reason for this was their decision to drop a batsman like Ambati Rayudu and not include him in the World Cup. Instead, they chose another batsman when their primary concern was the No. 4 position," Gambhir said during a live commentary session on Star Sports when the India versus New Zealand World Cup 2023 match was in progress.
Rayudu was not included in the 2019 World Cup squad for not having a "three-dimensional" game and Vijay Shankar was preferred over him.
Gambhir slammed the MSK Prasad-led panel for the lack of transparency behind Rayudu’s omission.
"And no one really knows the reason or what the communication was. Hence, the chairman bears the most significant responsibility in this matter. I don't recall who the chairman was at that time, but the responsibility rested with him," he remarked.
India started their 2019 World Cup campaign with KL Rahul batting at No. 4. But the team management had to move Rahul at the top after Shikhar Dhawan got ruled out of the tournament due to a fractured thumb. With Rahul opening with Rohit Sharma, Vijay Shankar batted at No. 4 for India in the next few games before Rishabh Pant eventually took that crucial slot.
As it turned out, the Men in Blue got knocked out of the quadrennial event with an 18-run defeat against New Zealand in the semi-final at Old Trafford.