NEW DELHI: Social media and fake news — an unending saga in today’s digital age — continue to trouble cricketers and analysts alike. With IPL 2025 in full swing, former players in commentary and support staff roles are facing a constant battle to debunk misleading posts that misrepresent their statements.
A day after Aakash Chopra slammed a fan for distorting his commentary, former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel was the latest victim of online misinformation. On Sunday, Patel took to X to refute a false quote attributed to him.
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A verified X user posted an image of Patel, who is part of the Gujarat Titans support staff, alongside Rohit Sharma, claiming Patel had said during the chat with commentator Harsha Bhogle:
“Harsha Bhogle: MI is missing Bumrah.
Parthiv Patel – Not Bumrah, Mumbai Indians is missing Captain Rohit Sharma. (Smiles)”
Patel wasted no time in shutting down the claim, responding bluntly, “I never said that.”
In a separate post, Patil sarcastically wrote: “Come on guys. I’ve got some great collabs and content, if you want impressions. Why lie about me?”
Just a day earlier, a fan had edited Chopra’s commentary clip and misleadingly attached it to visuals of MS Dhoni walking out to bat. The original commentary was about a six Dhoni hit, but the manipulated video falsely implied Chopra’s words were about Dhoni’s arrival.
Slamming the misrepresentation, Chopra wrote on X: “Six maarne ki commentary ko arrival visuals par chipka do… views/engagement badha lo. God bless you, Kushagra.”
These incidents highlight the growing problem of misinformation in sports media, where fake content spreads rapidly, forcing cricketers and analysts to clear the air time and again.
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