Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar recently found himself in a bind after social media platforms were awash with a fabricated statement falsely ascribed to him, where it is incorrectly stated that the iconic Indian cricketer criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for mishandling the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
The posts that have gone viral on X, a social media platform that was formerly called as Twitter, falsely quoted Sunil Gavaskar lambasting the BCCI for the organisation of the “worst cricket World Cup”, with “empty stadiums, no scoreboard, and pathetic management.”
“I am ashamed to call myself Indian. This is the worst Cricket World Cup. Empty stadiums, no scoreboard, pathetic management from BCCI,” the posts read, wrongly quoting former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
The fake statement is circulating widely following the lacklustre attendance during the opening match between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad on October 5, 2023. The Narendra Modi Stadium, boasting a capacity of approximately 132,000, displayed visuals of numerous vacant seats throughout the game. But vacant seats were ascribed to a working day and non-India matches, besides the mammoth capacity of the Ahmedabad stadium where the full house is only possible when India is playing a match.
Nevertheless, the fake quote quickly gained currency among opposition trolls and supporters, who disseminated the disinformation further as a part of their smear campaign directed against the Modi government ahead of the 2024 general elections. The fake quote ascribed to Mr Gavaskar is being used to attack Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary and son of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Not just Congress and opposition trolls who seemed to be running a spirited online campaign to malign the Modi government and amplify fake news of its misgovernance, even opposition politicians have partaken in the effort to disseminate misinformation if that appears to target the current dispensation.
Y Satish Reddy, a leader from KCR’s BRS party in Telangana, also propagated the fake quotes attributed to Sunil Gavaskar.
Did Sunil Gavaskar make such a statement against the BCCI over the World Cup?
OpIndia found that the statements attributed to Sunil Gavaskar were fake and that the iconic cricketer never made any such remark criticising the BCCI regarding their management of the World Cup in India.
We examined recent statements made by Gavaskar and found no instances of critical comments against the board.
Additionally, we reviewed recent videos from the World Cup where Sunil Gavaskar serves as a commentator and found no footage in which the esteemed cricketer made a comparable statement or criticised the BCCI for mismanagement.
The same was clarified by Aaj Tak journalist Vikrant Gupta, who added that Sunil Gavaskar was not even commentating in the England vs New Zealand game for which he is being maligned with fake quotes.
Not at all. Sunny bhai wasn’t even commentating that game. All these fake narratives and bullshit will go on for the next two months. And you know who all will do this and defame India and the Indians https://t.co/7uVTjlV3m9
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) October 7, 2023
It’s important to highlight that Sunil Gavaskar has been previously targeted to spread false information and disinformation. In a similar incident during the Asia Cup in September, a fabricated statement was falsely attributed to Sunil Gavaskar, purportedly criticising the BCCI for ‘politicizing’ and ‘hijacking’ cricket. The tournament’s venue was shifted from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, causing multiple games to be affected by heavy rainfall. The hitjob appears to be a part of a larger effort by the leftwing trolls to denigrate the Modi government and whip up resentment among general people.
