"A cricketer like him that has played so well in the IPL and for the nation, scored three 100's and ten 50's, and despite that if a player has to retire - it is a sad moment for Indian cricket," Gambhir said during the pre-match show of the England vs New Zealand on Wednesday.
He didn't stop there and went ahead saying that the five-member selection panel combined cannot score the amount of runs Rayudu has scored for the country.
"Five selectors combined would not have made the runs Rayudu has in his career. I feel extremely sad about this retirement. Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal got selected amidst the World Cup injuries, and anyone in Rayudu's place would have felt equally bad," said Gambhir.
"According to me, the selectors have been a complete disappointment this World Cup. Rayudu's retirement decision is because of them and their decision-making skills are to be blamed for this," he added.
Rayudu announced his decision in a letter to BCCI in which he said it has been "a honour and privilege" to have represented the country country.
"I would like to bring to your kind notice that I have come to decision to step away from the sport and retire from all forms and levels of the game. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the BCCI and all the state associations that I have represented which include Hyderabad, Baroda,Andhra and Vidarbha. I also would like to thank the two IPL franchises MI and CSK for their support," read the letter.(UNI)
