INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Suresh Raina has replaced Ambati Rayudu in the India squad for the One-Day International (ODI) series against England, the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday
BCCI, in a media release, stated that Rayudu had failed the fitness test held at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru on June 15
India's tour of England begins on July 3 with the limited-overs leg of three T20Is and three ODIs
Rayudu, whose last international appearance was in an ODI against Zimbabwe in June 2016, was named in the India squad for the ODIs against
England after a successful outing in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL).Rayudu had a brilliant IPL 2018 and one of the key
architects behind Chennai Super Kings' title-winning run
The righ-hander was among the top five run-getters this IPL season, amassing 602 runs at a strike rate of 149.75, including a century."The
All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Suresh Raina as Ambati Rayudu's replacement in India's ODI squad for the series against
England," a BCCI statement said."The announcement came after Rayudu failed to clear his fitness test that was held at NCA, Bengaluru on
Friday," it added.The 32-year-old Rayudu's score was on Friday found to be well below the threshold mark of 16.1 after he underwent the
yo-yo test along with the rest of the England-bound squad including skipper Virat Kohli, in the presence of trainer Shankar Basu and the
other support staff.The yo-yo test has become a criterion for fitness standards in Indian cricket determining selection.India's tour of
England begins on July 3 with the limited-overs leg of three T20Is and three ODIs.From August 1 to September 11, India will take on England
in a five-match Test series.India's squad for ODIs against England: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas
Iyer, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit
Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav.(With IANS Inputs)
