The 2019 ICC World Cup was not a happy ending for the Indian fans. The Indian side eventually lost to New Zealand in the semi-final of the tournament. The English side, later on, lifted the trophy after a nail-biting final victory against the Kiwis.
However, the selection of the Indian squad for the mega event raised so many eyebrows at that time. There was a considerable debate going on after the committee decided to go with Vijay Shankar ahead of Ambati Rayudu.
Before the World Cup, Rayudu was perfectly groomed for the middle-order batting position. But eventually, he was not named in the final squad. The committee stated that Shankar offered them 3-dimensional skills. He could handle all three departments with ease.
Whereas on the other hand, Rayudu was a pure batsman, so was considered as a 1D player only. Following his exit, Rayudu also took to his Twitter handle to express his sadness. He tweeted, “Just ordered a new set of 3D glasses to watch the World Cup”.
However, now after so much time has lapsed, Vijay Shankar has finally opened on this. He told News18.com that,
“I have no connection to that. They gave me a tag randomly and made it viral. But after that tweet, I played three games for India (World Cup) and did decently. I didn’t do anything bad. A lot of people compare me to Rayudu, but the batting orders and conditions we play in are different”.
Vijay Shankar had an average outing in World Cup 2019
Vijay Shankar didn’t succeed in utilizing the opportunity that he got. He managed to score 58 runs in the three matches that he played. His bowling performance was also average as he just bagged two wickets. The scenario might have been a different one if Rayudu got the chance to play for India.
