Ambati Rayudu's '3D Glasses' Tweet After World Cup Snub

Ambati Rayudu's career with the Indian national team was a long and frustrating journey marked by periods of excellent form followed by inexplicable exclusions. The middle-order batsman had been in and out of the side for years, accumulating a reputation as someone who could not hold his place despite performances that warranted selection.

By 2018-19, Rayudu appeared to have finally secured his place. He was batting at number four in ODIs, had backing from captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, and had scored consistently enough to be considered India's first-choice option for the 2019 World Cup squad. The World Cup would be held in England, a format and condition Rayudu had experience navigating.

Chief selector MSK Prasad had, in the months leading up to the World Cup, spoken about the need for a "three-dimensional" player at number four — someone who could bat, bowl, and field at an international standard. This framing would become the pivot around which the entire selection controversy turned.

The 2019 IPL, which served as a final audition for the World Cup squad, was completed in late May. Rayudu scored 602 runs in the tournament and was widely expected to be named in the 15-man squad. Vijay Shankar, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder, was seen as a potential fringe selection given his bowling utility — not as a direct rival for the number four slot.

When the World Cup squad was announced on 15 April 2019, Rayudu's name was absent. Vijay Shankar was named in his place. The BCCI statement, and subsequent comments by MSK Prasad, described Shankar as a "three-dimensional" player who added more to the team balance. The phrasing was immediately seized upon by fans and cricket media, who noted that Rayudu — with his batting, part-time medium pace, and outstanding fielding — was arguably also three-dimensional, and considerably more proven at international level.

The irony intensified when Rayudu took to Twitter. His response was brief, pointed, and perfectly calibrated: he had "just ordered a new set of 3D glasses to watch the World Cup." The tweet made international headlines within hours.

Ambati Rayudu had been India's first-choice number four batsman throughout 2018-19, with captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri publicly backing him for the World Cup spot. However, when the squad was announced, Rayudu was omitted in favor of all-rounder Vijay Shankar. Chief selector MSK Prasad justified the selection by calling Shankar a "three-dimensional" player who could bat, bowl, and field.

Rayudu responded with a now-legendary tweet: "Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup." The tweet went viral, becoming one of cricket's most iconic social media moments. It perfectly captured the frustration of a player who felt he had been unfairly treated after being groomed for the position. Rayudu briefly announced his retirement from cricket in frustration, though he later reversed the decision.

The saga highlighted the opaque and often arbitrary nature of Indian cricket's selection process. Ironically, Shankar was injured during the World Cup and barely contributed, while Rayudu — who had been named as a standby — was not called up. The "3D" episode became shorthand for questionable selection decisions in Indian cricket and sparked broader discussions about transparency and accountability in the selection process.

“Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup.”

“We've picked Vijay Shankar because he's a three-dimensional player. He bats, he bowls, and he's an excellent fielder.”

“Ambati deserved to be in that World Cup squad. He was batting brilliantly and had earned his place.”

“The tweet was legendary. It said everything that needed to be said without saying anything that could get him banned.”

The World Cup itself provided the ultimate verdict on the selection. Shankar struggled with injury throughout the tournament, barely playing, while India's batting at number four was patchy and inconsistent. The team was eventually knocked out in the semi-finals. Rayudu was never called up as a replacement despite being listed as a standby.

Rayudu reversed his retirement announcement and continued in domestic cricket. He went on to have stellar IPL seasons for CSK, cementing his reputation as one of the most reliable middle-order batsmen in the competition. He was recalled to the Indian ODI side briefly but never cemented a permanent return to the squad.

The "3D glasses" tweet remained in the cricket lexicon long after the specific controversy was forgotten. It became a shorthand for any selection decision that seemed to penalise a proven player in favour of a less experienced alternative on the basis of theorised versatility over demonstrated results.