While former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Ambati Rayudu recently made a bombshell statement saying that his personal differences with MSK Prasad during the initial stages of his career might have been instrumental in him getting axed from the 2019 ODI World Cup team which was selected by a committee headed by Prasad, the former chief selector has now broken his silence. Defending himself in a recent interview, Prasad said that it was the collective judgement of those in the panel to pick Vijay Shankar over Rayudu for the World Cup in England.

“All of us know that the selection committee has got five selectors and the captain sitting in the selection committee. Will any single person’s decision be taken or is it a consensus or is it a entire collective decision that would be taken? If an individual can take a decision then you don’t require five selectors. So any decision that is taken only happens with the consensus of the entire selection committee. So it is a collective decision. Not an individual decision. I may propose something but somebody else has to accept it. No individual decision will prevail in a committee,” Prasad told timesnownews.com in an interview.

While Rayudu had recently announced his retirement from all forms of the game after he lifted the IPL trophy with CSK, in a recent interview he has opened up on his relationship with MSK Prasad. However, Prasad’s view differs and he has said there was never a personal difference with Rayudu and perhaps him being strict as captain could have given that impression to Rayudu.

“In fact, I will tell you the truth. Nothing happened in 2005. There are absolutely no differences. See, he says that he might not have liked my style of captaincy. Which is fair no. You can definitely have a difference of opinion. You know that I am strict with everything. I am strict in regiments, strict in fitness, and strict in everything. Probably he might not have liked my routine or something but that is fine,” the 48-year-old added.

Rayudu despite doing well in New Zealand before the 2019 World Cup was dropped for the tournament. Even when there were a couple of replacements required, he wasn’t considered.