Venugopal Rao

Yalaka Venugopal Rao is a right handed batsman in the Indian cricket team. He has also played cricket for the Andhra, India A, Indian Board President’s XI and the Deccan Chargers cricket teams. Presently, he is with the Delhi Daredevils team.

Rao has been playing first class cricket since 1998. In 2002, Rao was a part of the Under 19 Indian team that won the Under 19 World Cup. He made his debut in International cricket in a match against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in 2005. He scored 38 runs in 74 balls which also included 3 boundaries before he was caught behind the wicket by Sangakkara off a ball by Muralitharan. India lost the match by 3 wickets.

Rao has not featured in the national side and did not play a One Day international since April 2006. In 2008, he was selected to play with the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League. Rao has scored 365 runs in the 14 innings that he played Twenty20 and has a strike rate of 124.57. In 2008, after being suspected for foul bowling action, Rao was asked to attend a 3 week rectification camp by the BCCI. Rao has yet to play an International test match.

In a total of 16 One day Internationals’, Rao has scored 218 runs with a high score of 61 runs not out and a strike rate of 60.05.