People laughed whenever someone from Andhra Pradesh wanted to play for India, reveals Venugopal Rao

On Tuesday, former India batsman Venugopal Rao announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The former middle-order batsman had made his international debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla which the hosts won by three wickets. Rao had scored 38 off 74 balls as the Lankans chased down the target with 10 balls to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. 

"Playing Muttiah Muralitharan on debut was an unforgettable experience," he said. "As batsmen, we grew up playing spin, but I felt nothing quite prepared you to face him. He was an exceptional bowler. I have fond memories of that game [even though India lost]," Rao was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo sources. 

"Before the Sri Lanka tour, we had a conditioning camp followed by a match between the 30 probables. The seniors played against the second XI. I made a 90 against the seniors, whose bowling included Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan. That knock convinced [then India coach] Greg Chappell. After the game, he had a long chat with me and the next day, I was informed of my India selection for the Sri Lanka tour.

"I was very jittery, I always felt as a cricketer growing up, if someone from Tamil Nadu or Mumbai made 120 runs, I had to make 200 to be noticed. Ahead of my India debut, I was a little nervous. Many thoughts ran through my mind. Greg had just taken up as coach, and he told me 'Look, for me, where you come from doesn't matter. I know you are good enough to be here, and that is why you are here.' Those words gave me a lot of belief."