India, March 9 -- Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu ended silence on Robin Uthappa's viral statement blaming Virat Kohli for the former's exclusion from the 2019 ODI World Cup team. Rayudu clarified that Kohli brought him back into the Indian team and backed him during that phase in the lead up to the ICC tournament in England.

Rayudu was India's designated No. 4 in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup tournament, having proved his worth with crucial knocks. However, he was ignored for the World Cup team as the selectors backed all-rounder Vijay Shankar for the role. The batter was further overlooked when Shankar and Shikar Dhawan were injured during the tournament.

Speaking to Lallontop in January, Uthappa accused then-captain Kohli o...