On Saturday, Indian cricketer Wriddhiman Saha took to Twitter to share a screenshot of disturbing messages sent to him by a journalist forcing him for an interview and then using disdainful language to deride him for not responding.
“After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected” journalist! This is where the journalism has gone,” Saha wrote in his tweet as he shared the screenshot.
In the purported conversation, the alleged journalist is asking Saha to do an interview with him.
The journalist also says that he will not be pushing Saha for an interview, however, the wicket-keeper must choose the person who can help him the most.
After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected” journalist! This is where the journalism has gone. pic.twitter.com/woVyq1sOZX
— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 19, 2022
In the screenshot shared by the cricketer, one can see a notification of a missed call from the journalist.
As Saha did not entertain the alleged journalist’s request or call him back, the angry journalist said he would never again take his interview.
He further stated in the message that he would not take this insult kindly. The journalist even warned Saha that he should not have behaved in this manner.
This revelation from Saha came after the Indian selection committee headed by Chetan Sharma announced the India team for the T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka, leaving out Wriddhiman Saha from the squad.
The exclusion did not surprise many, as Saha revealed that he was informed about the committee’s decision to not pick him by coach Rahul Dravid in South Africa itself.
Netizens speculate the identity of the journalist
Following Wriddhiman Saha’s sensational tweet disclosing the threats he received by a journalist, netizens began to speculate about the identity of the individual who indulged in such an act.
Social media users expressed their anger against the journalist for disrespecting a senior cricketer. They took a wild guess saying that it was either journalist Vikrant Gupta or Boria Majumdar who threatened Wriddhiman Saha.
I guess it will @BoriaMajumdar Or @vikrantgupta73 https://t.co/olpfx2n7y8
— Don Breadman🐬 (@DonBreadMann) February 19, 2022
One user even tagged Vikrant Gupta to say that she did not expect this kind of behaviour from him. Gupta wittingly responded to the user by saying that even he did not expect such behaviour, subtly denying the allegations.
Mujhe bhi
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) February 19, 2022
A social media user named Vicky Sherlock Singh decoded the text messages sent to Wriddhiman Saha to ask whether it was Boria Majumdar who indulged in a low-level act.
According to the user, Boria Majumdar’s old tweets and the text messages Saha had put out shared a similar pattern, indicating that Majumdar may have been the person who threatened Saha for an interview. The social media user pointed out that Majumdar had committed a typo ‘ypu’ instead of ‘you’ in many of his tweets
Interestingly, the same mistake can be seen in the text messages that were shared by Saha.
Boria Majumdar it is? pic.twitter.com/Y2gA1neDnD
— Vicky Sherlock Singh (@isinghvicky12) February 19, 2022
Rushil also shared a similar opinion saying that Boria Majumdar was the only journalist who spelt ‘you’ as ‘ypu’ every single time. He also said that he does not believe it was Boria as Saha was talking about “respected” ones.
THAT’S @BoriaMajumdar FOR SURE 💯
— Rushil (@rushilthefirst) February 19, 2022
He’s the only journalist who spell “You” as “ypu” every single time.
But I’m also doubting it’s him because Saha is talking “Respected” ones. pic.twitter.com/rgFwU68UHc
Another user said that Boria Majumdar had erroneously tweeted ‘ypu’ in place of ‘you’ in the past out of anger or excitement.
This is most probably Boria Majumdar. He is the one who types ‘you’ as ‘ypu’ in anger or excitement. He has tweeted ‘ypu’ many times recently as well. https://t.co/Xh95iuxy83 pic.twitter.com/i6MSYSIue9
— ayaan. (@AyanMusk) February 19, 2022
The incident has now triggered a massive debate on social media platforms, accusing some respected journalists of misusing their influence to threaten and harass senior cricketers.