Less fuss, more substance for Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu comes across as very shy. Talks less. Measures his words and answers to the point. Rayudu was perhaps the most quiet of the six players that were designated to talk to the media on the eve of the team's departure for the tour of Zimbabwe.

However, he does a lot of talking with his bat. His unbeaten 124 in the first ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare SC was proof. He showed everyone concerned that he ought to have got a better deal as an Indian ODI player. Just when wickets were falling at the other end regularly, Rayudu played from the fourth over and stayed till the end to score his highest ODI score in 30 appearances.

Rayudu paced his innings brilliantly and found an able ally in Stuart Binny (77), with the two sharing 160 for the sixth wicket and rescuing India from a precarious 87/5 to a competitive 255/6.

Rayudu has always been an underrated cricketer in the midst of the superstars of Indian cricket, the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Even a string of good performances was not enough to fetch him a place in the playing XI in the World Cup.

It's been two years since Rayudu, now 29, made his debut. And yet, the man still talks about being proud to be representing his country at every given "opportunity".

"It is a dream to play for the country. I would definitely want to play for the country," said Rayudu in the media interaction recently. "I'm approaching the Zimbabwe tour as any other tour that I would go on. Just hoping to go out there and do well," he said.

Do well he surely did.

Rayudu does not really worry about the numbers, the position he gets to bat or the number of balls he gets to face. 

"Every match is different. For me, it is not really about numbers or where I bat. I am trying to get used to different situations, trying to adapt myself to playing in different conditions and situations. I am happy I have been contributing in whatever opportunities that I have been getting. I'm happy with the way I am progressing and hopefully I'll keep improving and getting better."

It is believed that batsmen peak in their 30s. Rayudu is on the verge of entering the fourth decade of his life. But he does not think too much into the future. The prospects of him getting dropped from the XI when the seniors return don't bother him either.

"I don't think on the lines of getting dropped. If you don't do well, anybody will get dropped. I just focus on whatever I can do and whatever way I can contribute to the team. Also, I don't really think so much about the future. I don't have a goal at all. I'm happy playing for India and whatever opportunities I am getting, whatever way I am contributing to the team, am happy," he said.

DID YOU KNOW?
Rayudu's unbeaten 124 at No. 3 in the first ODI was his highest ODI score -- three better than his maiden century against Sri Lanka last November, also at the same position

'Learnt a lot by observing Dhoni'
Ambati Rayudu said observing MS Dhoni handle pressure has helped him learn how to control the game in tough situations. "I have been batting in situations like that for the last four-five years in the IPL. Also I have been part of the Indian team for a couple of years now and have spent a lot of time sitting in the change room watching Dhoni bhai bat in similar situations," Rayudu told bcci.tv. "I keep observing what he does and how he controls the game. There is a lot you can learn just by sitting out and I am happy that whatever I am learning, I am able to implement in the middle," he said. Rayudu said he found a way to deal with the disappointment of being in and out of the team, crediting Virat Kohli for giving him an idea. "When a game is on and I am sitting out, I visualise myself playing out there and what I would do. Virat suggested this to me and it has really helped me in that when I actually get a game, I am prepared, I am mentally there because in my mind I have played the previous matches," he said.