On Monday (September 4), Rohan Gavaskar took to X (formerly Twitter) to debunk fake claims attributed to his father Sunil Gavaskar by a Hinduphobic, Pakistani troll account.
The former cricketer dismissed the fake news that Sunil Gavaskar supposedly slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for ‘politicising’ the game of cricket during an interview with NDTV.
In a tweet, Rohan Gavaskar said, “This is a completely fabricated statement attributed to my father. He hasn’t made this statement and someone is just trying to create mischief. It’s absolutely ridiculous that people would use his name to get more engagement. Please retweet so that the truth prevails”
This is a completely fabricated statement attributed to my father . He hasn’t made this statement and someone is just trying to create mischief . It’s absolutely ridiculous that people would use his name to get more engagement . Please retweet so that the truth prevails https://t.co/UNLOk5GVXr
— Rohan Gavaskar (@rohangava9) September 3, 2023
He further added, “He (Sunil Gavaskar) is under contract with India today so he wouldn’t speak to Ndtv anyway!.” The fake news was disseminated on X (formerly Twitter) by a Pakistan-based troll account named ‘Hassan’ (@hi_hassan). He boasts of 6000 followers on the platform.
Two days earlier on Saturday (September 2), Hassan falsely claimed, “Sunil Gavaskar on NDTV: It should be a matter of utter shame for us as Indians for politicizing, ruining and basically hijacking this beautiful game of cricket. BCCI has let India down and tonight’s results are a testimony of it.”
He further added, “Sunil Gavaskar putting his retirement life on line in front of 1.2 billion mob-lynchers is highly appreciated. Hope his media contracts aren’t affected after speaking truth on national television.” Hassan also shared a screenshot, highlighting how former Pakistani Minister Fawad Chaudhry liked his tweet.
A quick glance at the profile of the troll reveals that he is based in Pakistan. “VPN speeds in Pakistan,” Hassan had tweeted on May 10 this year.
VPN speeds in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/Liep3lcbg1
— 𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏 (@hi__hassan) May 10, 2023
He was also seen making derogatory remarks against the Hindu community and posting objectionable cartoons, showing Hindus eating ‘sh*t’ while sporting ‘vibhuti’ and ‘bindi.’
In September 2020, former ace cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was falsely accused of making sexist remarks against actress, Anushka Sharma. He was referring to a video of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma playing on top of their residence during the Coronavirus lockdown.
His comments were later taken out of context and presented in an unsavoury manner by vicious trolls on social media.
