Vijay Shankar gives classy reply to Ambati Rayudu's '3D tweet' after 2 years of silence

Ambati Rayudu was once considered as the No.1 contender to fill the 4th position of the Indian team squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. However, fans were disappointed when Rayudu wasn’t selected for the 2019 World Cup which led to the infamous “3D glasses” tweet by the right-handed batsman. Vijay Shankar was selected over Ambati Rayudu due to his 3-dimensional abilities, as cited by the selectors and soon the tweet became associated with Shankar every time while comparing his performance on the field.

Ambati Rayudu’s tweet caused significant damage to his international career. Vijay Shankar was ruled out of the World Cup after playing 3 matches due to a toe injury and Mayank Agarwal was named as a replacement instead of Rayudu. After 2 years, Vijay Shankar has recently spoken on the “3D glasses” tweet and has given his reply on being compared to Rayudu.

Vijay Shankar opens up on Ambati Rayudu's "3D Tweet"

Speaking to News18, Shankar said that he has no connection to the infamous tweet and people gave him a tag randomly, which made it viral. He further said that after Rayudu’s tweet, he played three games for India in the World Cup and performed decently without doing anything wrong as such. Speaking on his comparison with Rayudu, Shankar said that the batting positions and conditions in which they both play, are different. He said that a lot of people don’t consider these factors and people just want to enjoy comparisons on social media at his expense.

Shankar on his relationship with Rayudu

Speaking on his relationship with Rayudu, he said that both of them talk whenever they meet and there’s no issue between them. He added that the discussion gained steam after Rayudu’s tweet became viral and he definitely doesn’t hold any grudge against Rayudu. Vijay Shankar has also filled in the role of an all-rounder during the IPL 2021 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Vijay Shankar IPL salary

The Vijay Shankar IPL salary for the 2021 season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad was INR 3.2 crore. In 2019, Shankar was transferred from Delhi Capitals to Sunrisers Hyderabad. His IPL salary has remained constant at INR 3.2 crore since 2018. However, he is expected to get only half his IPL 2021 salary, should the tournament not resume.

Ambati Rayudu stats

Ambati Rayudu stats for the ODI format saw him as the number one contender for the 4th position. In 55 ODI matches, Rayudu scored 1694 runs with an average of 47.0 and a strike rate of 79.0. In the Indian Premier League, Rayudu played prominent innings for the Mumbai Indians and later the Chennai Super Kings. In the IPL, he has played 166 matches while scoring 3795 runs with a strike rate of 127.8.

Image Source: AP/PTI