IPL 2019: Has Ambati Rayudu become CSK's '4D' star?

Indian top-order batsman attracts attention after donning wicketkeeping gloves during Chennai's defeat to Mumbai

Chennai Super King batsman Ambati Rayudu donned the wicketkeeper's gloves for a bit. Mahesh Kumar A / AP Photo

It's a story that's acquired a life of its own.

On Friday night, Ambati Rayudu took over the wicketkeeping gloves from an indisposed MS Dhoni as Chennai Super Kings got crushed by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Rayudu took the catch of Mumbai opener Quinton de Kock and was largely tidy behind the stumps, but the sight of him in that fielding position spurred social media users in India to tweet about it – the common riff of many being he had now become a four-dimensional, or 4D, player in the process.

This is in response, of course, to Rayudu's facetious tweet from more than 10 days ago when he announced his intention to watch the upcoming Cricket World Cup with 3D glasses. Rayudu was left out of India's World Cup squad earlier this month, ignored in favour of inexperienced Vijay Shankar who chief selector MSK Prasad called a "three-dimensional player" given his all-round abilities.

The 33-year-old batsman’s tweet was perceived by many commentators, and the Indian cricket board, as a dig at Prasad.

“We have taken note of what Rayudu has tweeted,” an unnamed board official told the Press Trust of India news agency. “[But] let’s accept that emotions are running high at this moment. There is bound to be disappointment, and there needs to be an outlet of expression as long as it’s not out of line.”

The BCCI let Rayudu's alleged mischief slide, but the fact it has "taken note" should be a warning to the player who was once precocious and has a history of indiscipline.

Anyhow with the genie out of the bottle, Twitteratis had a field day on Friday night as many suggested Rayudu was now a 4D player because he had added another dimension to his game – wicketkeeping – while others said he was still only 3D given his bowling action had come under the scanner recently.

Whether or not Rayudu is lapping up the attention, the question he should be asking is: Is Prasad watching?