Riyan Parag memes go viral after Shubman Gill and Ananya Panday’s ad collaboration sparks ‘heartbreak alert’
PTC News Desk: India all-rounder Riyan Parag found himself at the heart of a social media meme fest on Wednesday after his teammate Shubman Gill and Bollywood actress Ananya Panday teamed up for an advertisement shoot. The internet quickly caught fire with memes shortly after Gill and Ananya shared posts about the ad on their respective social media platforms.
The buzz started when Beats, the well-known audio products manufacturer, announced the launch of its new products in India, including the Beats Solo Buds, Beats Solo 4, and Beats Pill. As part of the marketing campaign, Ananya Panday and Shubman Gill were featured in the advertisement.
Riyan Parag after seeing Shubhman Gill with his crush: #AnanyaPanday – Heartbreak Alert! ????#riyanparag pic.twitter.com/ou0ps5LyDF
— Social Worrier (@itzsps) September 4, 2024
Following the announcement, both stars took to X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram to share a picture from the shoot, promoting the new products.
However, the moment the photos were posted online, Riyan Parag’s name began trending on social media.
But, why Riyan Parag?
The Rajasthan Royals star, who made his India debut in a T20I series earlier this summer, first started trending back in May when a screenshot of his YouTube search history went viral. The search history included two particularly notable entries: “Ananya Panday hot” and “Sara Ali Khan hot.”
Namaste India. https://t.co/OGiN6BXpjR pic.twitter.com/AWiVOpteiD
— Riyan Parag (@parag_riyan69) September 4, 2024
In addition to his cricketing career, the 22-year-old Parag is also a part-time gamer who occasionally streams his gaming sessions online, which has helped him amass over 65,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. During one of these streams, a user noticed Parag’s YouTube search history and highlighted the entries about the two Bollywood actresses. This led to a flood of tweets mocking and criticising the young cricketer.
Riyan Parag Prepares for Duleep Trophy
Despite the social media frenzy, Parag’s focus remains firmly on cricket. Earlier this year, he enjoyed a stellar run in IPL 2024, scoring 567 runs in 13 innings at an impressive strike rate of 151.60. His performance made him the highest run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals and the top performer among uncapped players. This success earned him a call-up to the Indian national team for the tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, where he eventually made his ODI debut.
As Parag gears up for the Duleep Trophy, which kicks off on Thursday, he is set to play a crucial role in the tournament that marks the beginning of India’s red-ball season. The Duleep Trophy will also serve as a platform for the BCCI selection committee to assess players for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
While Riyan Parag’s online search history may have sparked a meme storm, the young all-rounder remains focused on his cricketing journey, looking to make a significant impact in the upcoming domestic season.