In the 21st century, print and digital media have greatly influenced the game of Cricket. Now the cricketers can share their opinions on any platform and the audience can also support their heroes. It has definitely brought the fans closer to the game. But on the other hand it also gives rise to controversies which could be avoided otherwise. In this article lets discuss five such controversial statements made by cricketers in digital media.
The first name in the list is of Virender Sehwag. Unlike his colleagues, Virender Sehwag is a cricketer whose interviews are full of catchphrases. There is never a dull moment whether he is sending the bowlers on a leather hunt or giving his opinions on teammates. In the latter half of Sehwag’s career, there were reports regarding a rift between him and Dhoni. He went a step further when he stated that the Men in Blue was a strong team and MSD was not the reason behind India’s World Cup triumph which created a huge row online.
The second name in the list is of Shoaib Akhtar. Akhtar has a habit of taking potshots at his fellow cricketers. Throughout his career, his controversial rate and bowling speed never dipped for the same reason. He came into headlines when he made a controversial statement in his autobiography saying in his book, that Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid lacked particular skills. In his report, these two players were not the exact match-winners of their side and this didn’t go well with a lot of cricket fans round the globe.
The third name in the list is of Chris Gayle. It happened when he was giving an interview after a BBL tie to presenter Mel Mclaughlin The explosive batsman cheekily praised the presenter’s beauty and invited her for drinks which didn’t go down well. Within hours Gayle’s comments were the headlines of various news channels and some people remarked him as a misogynist. The Universe Boss was fined $10000 for his misconduct and several other women came up with their bad experiences.
The fourth name in the list is of Greg Chappell. All hell broke loose when Ganguly was ousted from the team under Greg’s coaching. Soon the Indian players were vocal about Chappell’s negative attitude and it all ended on a sour note when the team was eliminated in the group stages of 2007 World Cup. Immediately the Australian resigned from the role and later he would reveal his part of the story in his autobiography. According to him Ganguly was expecting favours from his side and wanted to keep his captaincy title even after going through a rough patch and this didn’t go well with Indian fans.
The last name in the list is of Hardik Pandya. He along with best friend KL Rahul were invited on Koffee With Karan. Everything was going smooth until the host slipped some of the ticklish questions. In a light-hearted manner, Pandya replied to all the questions with indecency. When the interview was posted online his sexist comments were not welcomed and he was mercilessly roasted on social platforms. Legal action was taken against both cricketers and BCCI also suspended them for their behaviour.
