It’s no surprise that we live in a country where cricket is a religion and cricketers are worshipped like our lord and saviour. But sometimes, the very people we idolize churn out the dumbest statements that make us wonder: “Hmm, maybe they are human after all.”
Here are 8 of the worst things our Indian cricketers have ever said:
1. Sourav Ganguly
This early 2000s casual sexism is so embarrassing. Dada should stick to parading his chest hair on the field.
Men still laugh at these?🤮 https://t.co/JZnZGWPkyX
— Parvathi Bindu Benu (@ParBen24) December 20, 2021
2. Gautam Gambhir
The cricketer once claimed that if Delhi’s pollution problems are solved, he will stop eating jalebis. “Agar mera jalebi khane se Delhi ka pollution badha hai, toh main hamesha ke liye jalebi chhod sakta hoon…10 minute mein mujhe troll karna shuru kar diya, agar itni mehnat Delhi ki pollution ko kam karne mein ki hoti toh hum saas le pate.” At a time when all of Delhi was suffocating in the gruelling heat, Gambhir minimized the situation with his sasta humour. Not cool. Here’s us to Gambhir after this statement:
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3. Sunil Gavaskar
Every cricketer has good days and bad days. On one such occasion, when Virat Kohli delivered a poor shot in IPL 2020, Sunil Gavaskar said, “Inhone lockdown mein toh bas Anushka ki gendon ki practice ki hain.” If a cricketer can’t perform, why on earth would it ever be his wife’s fault? Sexist alert!
Inhone lockdown mein toh bas Anushka ki gendon ki practice ki hain.
-Sunil Gavaskar
Obviously, Anushka handed his ass back to him:
4. Virat Kohli
But don’t be fooled, Virat Kohli himself is no saint. The former captain once said: “Don’t live in India, if you don’t like Indian batsmen.” Narcissism much?
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5. Virender Sehwag
The casual sexism within the Indian cricket fraternity surprises absolutely no one. Maybe along with cricket coaching, they also need some guidance on how to be a decent fucking human being.
Ladkiyon ko shopping ka shock hota hai. Preity full on shopping ke mood mein hain. Har cheez khareedni hai
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 27, 2018
6. Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul
In yet another nauseatingly sexist interview with Karan Johar, the duo (but mostly Pandya) unveiled their toxic masculinity and left no stone unturned in objectifying women. Pandya’s comments included: “There was this party where my parents were sitting and they’re like, ‘Teri wali kaun kaun hai?’ Actually, I sat with them and I was like, ‘Yeh, yeh, wo… sabke saath kuch na kuch raha hai mera.’ They said, ‘Waahh…, we are proud of you beta.'” Oh and hear this: “With my family, I’ve been open about everything… When I lost my virginity, I told them: ‘Aaj karke aaya.'” Not only did Pandya humiliate himself, but also his family. Since the interview, Pandya has rebranded himself and become a family man. But is it fatherhood that changed him or fear of the public wrath?
7. Riyan Paragg
From taunting umpires to picking unnecessary fights, Riyan Paragg has been widely criticized for his unwarranted arrogance. But instead of apologizing for being a hyper-aggressive man-child, he tweets this:
GG’s what happens in Brabourne stays in Brabourne😗 #RRvsLSG #IPL2022
— Riyan Paragg (@ParagRiyan) May 15, 2022
8. Yuvraj Singh
On an Instagram live with Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj revealed his inner ignorant moron by using a casteist slur towards his former India teammate Yuzvendra Chahal. He said, “Ye b****i logon ko koi kaam nahi hai Yuzi ko… Yuzi ko dekha kaisa video daala.” For grave, offensive language as such, there is no way the cricket board would let it slide. Well… 🙂
Yuvraj Singh’s thinking is very poor. It has used very derogatory words. How long will Dalits have to face such mental oppression.#जय_भीम#युवराज_सिंह_शर्म_करो#युवराज_सिंह_माफी_मांगो#युवराज_सिंह_माफी_मांगो pic.twitter.com/2eQjjwmbkn https://t.co/UZtTRfxhiY
— Vaibhav Wakale (@VaibhavWakale4) June 2, 2020
Someone tell these cricketers to leave their boy’s locker room mentality in the locker room itself. In a country where you are hailed as a king and people mimic your every move, it’s irresponsible to voice such colourfully glorious statements. Do better.