Twinkle-toed Rayudu celebrates India call-up

Five days after forcing his way into India's ODI squad on the back of his most prolific IPL season, Ambati Rayudu celebrated his call-up with a maiden T20 hundred.

Back in the day, Matthew Hayden used to run down the track for Chennai Super Kings and intimidate even fast bowlers. Rayudu isn't quite in the class of Hayden, but he has created a similar impact by using his feet regularly to convert good balls into boundary balls. He has stepped out to 46 balls in IPL 2018 and has shellacked 118 runs without being dismissed.

After Rayudu hit 82 off 53 balls and helped CSK mow down 206 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium last month, coach Stephen Fleming said: "The power game he [Rayudu] has got has gone unnoticed, but we certainly value it in the performances he has put in this season. I couldn't be more happier with him."

His latest performance - an unbeaten 100 off 62 balls in a successful chase of 180 - would have pleased his coach further. After gaining a feel for the conditions - the ball was't swinging and was sliding on instead in the evening - Rayudu shimmied out against Sunrisers' best bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar and launched him inside-out over extra-cover for six. CSK then passed fifty in the last over of the Powerplay, when Rayudu forayed down the track and hoisted Shakib Al Hasan over his head.

With Rayudu shuffling outside the line of the stumps, Siddarth Kaul, who had also made the India limited-overs squad, kept attacking his body with short balls. Rayudu kept swatting them away to the leg-side boundary. All told, he took 31 runs off 14 balls from Kaul at a strike-rate of 221.42 and a control percentage of 85. He then slowed down in the nineties, but, fittingly, some more nifty footwork brought up his century. Rayudu jumped across to off stump and clipped a Bhuvneshwar delivery through square leg to get there.

The celebration after reaching the landmark. He eased the helmet off his head, flashed a big smile, and was embraced by the same MS Dhoni who did not trust him with the strike three years ago. Rayudu wasn't done yet. He gestured to Dwayne Bravo in the dugout and mimicked his Run D World jig, swinging his right arm over his head.

"Ambati Rayudu is batting like a dream, wherever he's asked to bat in the order. #gunplayer"
Ian Bishop, on Twitter

"If you are good at four-day cricket, you can bat at any position. I am really happy to be back in the Indian team, hopefully I will do well there."
Ambati Rayudu