In an era where cricketing legends double as digital influencers, the foundations of honest critique are fast eroding. The latest flashpoint? Gautam Gambhir\u2019s fiery defence of young pacer Harshit Rana, after former India captain Kris Srikkanth and spinner R. Ashwin publicly questioned Rana\u2019s selection, alleging favouritism and Gambhir\u2019s undue influence. <\/p>\n
But beneath the surface of this spat lies a deeper story: the transformation of cricket commentary into a ratings-driven spectacle, where ex-cricketers trade ethics for eyeballs. <\/p>\n
Gambhir vs Srikkanth: A Selection Storm <\/p>\n
It began with Srikkanth\u2019s YouTube claim that Harshit Rana\u2019s inclusion in the national squad was orchestrated by Gambhir, who had mentored Rana during his stint at Kolkata Knight Riders. The implication was that Rana was picked because he was a \u2018yes man.\u2019 Gambhir hit back hard. \u201cHis father is not an ex-cricketer or selector. He\u2019s earned his place through sheer talent,\u201d Gambhir said, calling the allegations \u201cshameful\u201d and accusing Srikkanth of targeting a youngster for digital clout. <\/p>\n
R. Ashwin, too, reportedly echoed doubts about Rana\u2019s selection, adding fuel to the fire. <\/p>\n
Shravan Kumar speaks out <\/p>\n
Amid the noise, one voice stood out \u2014 that of Shravan Kumar, Harshit Rana\u2019s childhood coach. \u201cHe\u2019s been with me since fifth standard at Ganga Vihar School and trains at my Rohtak Road Cricket Academy. He has talent and justifies his selection,\u201d Shravan told DC. <\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t hold back on the critics either: \u201cSrikkanth and Ashwin are just trying to boost their YouTube ratings. Srikkanth seems to have forgotten his own son Anirudh\u2019s inclusion in India A when he was selector. And Ashwin should reflect on his own overseas performances before pointing fingers.\u201d <\/p>\n
Shravan also revealed that Harshit was initially a net bowler at KKR, where Gambhir spotted his potential and backed him for the IPL squad, which eventually paved the way for national recognition. <\/p>\n
Cricket Commentary or celebrity chat show? <\/p>\n
The issue isn\u2019t about just one player. With YouTube channels, podcasts and Instagram reels becoming the new commentary box, the focus has shifted from sharing insights to becoming viral, and the method used is often provocation. The result is a media ecosystem where truth is optional, and controversy is currency. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In an era where cricketing legends double as digital influencers, the foundations of honest critique are fast eroding.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,93681,18855,17851,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-219156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-cricket","9":"tag-digital-influencers","10":"tag-gautam-gambhir","11":"tag-r-ashwin","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}