Tendulkar thanks Rayudu for his service to Indian cricket

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar Thursday thanked the just-retired Ambati Rayudu for his service to Indian cricket and recalled the time spent together at Mumbai Indians.

Snubbed twice over for the ongoing World Cup, Rayudu Wednesday retired from all forms of cricket without specifying his reasons for calling it quits.

"Thank you for all your contribution to Indian Cricket, Ambati. Have fond memories of spending time with you during your stint at @mipaltan. Wishing you all the best for your 2nd innings," Tendulkar, who is currently in the United Kingdom, wrote on his twitter handle.

The the 33-year-old batsman was in India's official standbys list for the big event in the UK but was ignored despite the injury-forced ouster of all-rounder Vijay Shankar. Opener Mayank Agrawal was brought in on the team management's insistence and it is learnt, Rayudu was left quite disappointed by the turn of events.

Rayudu played 55 ODIs for India and scored 1694 runs at an average of 47.05. The player, who could never break into the Test team, was in the spotlight before the World Cup.

Declared the preferred No.4 batsman by Kohli not many months ago, Rayudu was ignored for Shankar in India's final squad for the big event.