Ambati Rayudu, the explosive middle-order Indian batsman, has been ruled out of the ongoing India-Zimbabwe tour series due to injury. The Mumbai batsman was seriously hurt in the ODI match last night at Harare following which his availability for the rest of the series was doubted. However, BCCI medical team confirmed earlier today that Rayudu has actually sustained some strain in his muscles and he won’t be part of Indian squad for the rest of this series.

India vs Zimbabwe: Sanju Samson to replace Ambati Rayudu

Young Sanju Samson will replace injured Rayudu in the Indian team. Though, injury is expected to be not that much serious but still around one-month rest is necessary for Rayudu to fully recuperate himself. The official statement of the BCCI read as follows; “The BCCI medical team confirms that Ambati Rayudu has been ruled out of the remaining part of the India’s tour of Zimbabwe due to an injury he has sustained while playing the 2nd ODI. Rayudu has pulled his right quadriceps muscles and will require 2 to 3 weeks of rehabilitation.”

“The All India senior selection committee has named Sanju Samson as Rayudu’s replacement for the rest of the tour,” the document added. Interestingly, both Samson and Rayudu had shot to fame with their awe-inspiring performances at IPL over the last few years. Samson, 20, never fails to woo cricket experts and former cricketers with his perfect shots, timing and placement.

Definitely it is a golden chance for the Rajasthan Royals batsman to continue his good performance of T20s in international matches too. Anyway, the task is not going to be that much easier either. Many would say that Zimbabwe is a relatively weaker team but Harare pitch is typically slow, making it difficult for the batmen to hit shots as per their choice. However, Rayudu’s performance at the series has been brilliant in the series. He played fine knocks of 124* and 41 in the last two ODI matches that he played so far in this tour.

The Trivandrum-born-cricketer, Sanju Samson, will have immense pressure on his head while representing team India in the series. He is a much hyped cricketer and most of the cricket commentators and former players are extremely happy with the effort and dedication that he shows on the field. The forthcoming match, last ODI of the series, will take place on Tuesday in Harare.

Tags: Ambati Rayudu, BCCI, Cricket, Harare, India, ODI Match, ODI Series, Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson, Sports, Zimbabwe