"Liking one player more doesn't mean you go on abusing others" - R Ashwin calls out social media fan wars with Tendulkar-Dravid example

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin slammed social media wars that often have fans of one player abusing another player. The 38-year-old, who recently retired from international cricket, during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, explained the toxic nature of social media with examples of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

Fan wars have become more prevalent than ever after India's recent back-to-back Test series losses to New Zealand and Australia. Several star players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have faced the brunt of criticism from fans for their poor performances in the Test format.

Talking about the toxicity created by social media wars on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said [quoted by TOI]:

"Fan wars on social media are becoming very toxic. I have always said, let's discuss cricket as cricket and not like the brand value of a player. Liking one player more doesn't mean you go on abusing others. These fan wars are a new trend."

He added:

"Take for example, as a cricket fan, I used to be a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. That doesn't mean I will talk poorly of Rahul Dravid. I like Rahul Dravid too, but I liked Sachin very much. And I consider Anil bhai (Anil Kumble) as a role model. I looked up to Harbhajan Singh too."

Ravichandran Ashwin finished his career as India's second-leading wicket-taker with 765 scalps, behind only Anil Kumble (956).

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"Can't pass judgment on what Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, or Ravindra Jadeja are thinking " - Ravichandran Ashwin

India's senior players are under immense pressure after the side's series defeat to Australia [Credit: Getty]

Ravichandran Ashwin refused to comment on the Indian senior players - Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja and their future in international cricket.

The legendary duo of Rohit and Kohli have been heavily criticized for their poor performances in the red-ball format since the Bangladesh series in September 2024.

"I have just retired. I know them for a long time. I can't pass judgment on what Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, or Ravindra Jadeja are thinking. Every individual has their own thinking. They only know what to do and what not to do. Rohit has also said, ‘Today I am not scoring, but it doesn't mean I won't score tomorrow'," said Ashwin.

He concluded:

"For Virat too, he scored a hundred in Perth. People should understand that it was a low-scoring series. It created some record of the lowest overs bowled in a five-match series in many years. So, it means batting was difficult. Fans want instant results after watching IPL because it comes pretty fast in T20 leagues. But that's not the case in Test cricket."

Rohit has scored only 164 runs in his last 15 Test innings at an average of under 11 with a lone half-century. On the other hand, Kohli's poor Test form has extended for over five years, with the ace batter averaging under 31 in his last 39 Tests since 2020.