Rayudu fails in fitness test, out of England tour

Bengaluru, June 16: Indian Premier League hero Ambati Rayudu is out of the Indian team for the three One Day International Series against England having failed it the fitness test held at the National Cricket Academy here.

Sources here indicated that Rayudu fell short of the minimum cut off level in the fitness test. Players need to attain the minimum of 16:1 parameter to be selected. Based on the recent IPL performance, Rayudu, who had been a key player for Chennai Super Kings title win was picked up by the selectors for the England tour. However, they need now to find a replacement for the tour starting on July 12. Rayudu's last appearance in ODI was in 2016 and had to clear the Yo-Yo test made mandatory by the Indian team management

Several Indian players including captain Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, appeared for the fitness test at the Academy. Last week, the BCCI revealed that Sanju Samson and Mohammed Shami had failed the fitness tests and consequently lost their spots. Shami could not make it to the one-off Test against Afghanistan which got over on Friday, while Samson missed the India A squad to tour England in June.