Had No Say In Dropping Ambati Rayudu, Wasn't Okay With 3 Wicketkeepers For WC 2019: Ravi Shastri

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It's been more than two years since India lost the semifinal against New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 yet Ravi Shastri is still hurt with the loss. 

India had dominated the World Cup till then and entered the semifinal after topping the round-robin table. Then coach Ravi Shastri thinks 'it was the best chance for India'. 

"Our other best chance(after WTC Final) was the 2019 World Cup. I'm not so rankled by the 2021 T20 WC exit - to be honest, we weren't among the best sides. But 2019 hurts equally bad. The start we had, then the game being carried on to the next day," Shastri told Times of India. 

One of the major criticism India got was not having a settled number four and not picking Ambati Rayudu in the World Cup squad, for which Shastri revealed that he had no say in that decision. 

"I had no say in that. But I wasn't okay with three wicketkeepers being picked for the World Cup. Either Ambati or Shreyas could've come in. What was the logic in having MS Dhoni, Rishabh, and Dinesh all together? But I never interfered with selectors' world, except when I was asked for feedback or as part of a general discussion."