Ambati Rayadu's Redemption Bodes Well For Indian Cricket

Rayudu has turned out to be one the season’s leading run-scorers with 535 runs in 12 matches along with one hundred and two fifties. MS Dhoni has utilized him as an opener and Rayudu has flourished in that role...

- Bhavesh Bhimani

One of the best things about the Indian Premiere League (IPL) is that it provides ample opportunities, even to those who have been struggling to make a name in international cricket, to grab the limelight and come into reckoning. In that regard, IPL 2018 has seen a redemption of sorts for Ambati Rayudu. The 32-year-old Indian batsman has been in and out of the Indian team over the years, despite making an impression in whatever chances he has got. Rayudu has always been talented but somehow has been unable to secure a place in the national team. Perhaps it is because of other, more fancied players, being preferred over him or sheer bad luck, but the truth is that Rayudu has never got the recognition he truly deserves. But IPL 2018 may well turn out to be a new chapter in Ambati Rayudu’s career. Representing the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rayudu has turned out to be one the season’s leading run-scorers with 535 runs in 12 matches along with one hundred and two fifties. Captain MS Dhoni has utilized him as an opener and Rayudu has flourished in that role, striking it at over 150 in the season – his highest in IPL history. This is the first time that Rayudu has crossed even the 400-run mark in the IPL. In the recent match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rayudu also went on to strike