The increasing influence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the global cricket stage is deserving of recognition. Reports suggest that it stands as the wealthiest cricket board worldwide, affording it the capacity to shape terms in accordance with the nation’s needs. However, this expanding influence has caused concern among some quarters, particularly among individuals affiliated with communist and Islamist ideologies. Notably, a recent quote attributed to the revered former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has surfaced on the internet. This quote implies that Mr. Gavaskar expressed criticism toward the BCCI, alleging that it is eroding the core values of cricket.
A Pakistani Twitter user by the name Hasan wrote, “ 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.”
Hasan further wrote, “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.”
Another Twitter user, Sports Sync tweeted in the same vein, “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.”
The critical question at hand is whether one of India’s most esteemed cricketers would make statements detrimental to national integrity by speaking negatively about the BCCI. To address this, let’s conduct a thorough fact-check.
For readers who may not closely follow cricket, let’s provide some context on current cricket affairs. Presently, the Asia Cup is underway, featuring all Asian cricket-playing nations. This year, Pakistan is the host nation for the Asia Cup. However, it’s important to note that India and Pakistan ceased the bilateral cricket series after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Consequently, when Pakistan was selected as the host for this year’s Asia Cup, the BCCI expressed reservations about playing in a nation accused of supporting terrorism. Consequently, the Asian Cricket Council relocated India’s matches, along with other crucial fixtures where India might compete, to Sri Lanka. In this context, Hasan is suggesting that Sunil Gavaskar indicated India should have played in Pakistan, but due to the BCCI’s influence, the venue was changed.
Fact Check
Our investigative journey began with a meticulous examination of Hasan’s claims, particularly regarding his source being an NDTV sports interview. However, upon delving into recent NDTV interviews with the esteemed former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, we regrettably found no mention related to the BCCI.
Mr. Sunil Gavaskar did engage in a conversation with India Today, and NDTV cited this interview as their source. During this discussion, Mr. Gavaskar did indeed critique Rohit Sharma while bestowing praise upon Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. Nevertheless, it’s imperative to highlight that no comments were attributed to Mr. Gavaskar regarding the BCCI in this particular interview.
Furthermore, we fastidiously reviewed the full seventeen-minute interview featuring the cricketing legend on India Today. During this extensive conversation, the focus remained squarely on cricketing aspects and technical nuances of the sport, as opposed to delving into the complex realm of BCCI-Pakistani politics, which Hasan had alluded to on Twitter.
Subsequently, as our investigation progressed, we stumbled upon a tweet from Rohan Gavaskar, the son of Sunil Gavaskar. In this tweet, Rohan emphatically rejected the assertions made by Hasan on Twitter, providing a clear refutation of those claims.
Rohan Gavaskar tweeted, “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.”
Hence, after a thorough examination of the evidence at hand, it is evident and accurate to assert that the Pakistani Twitter user, Hasan, was indeed disseminating false information regarding Sunil Gavaskar and the BCCI. The untruths spread by Hasan shed a light on the nation of his origin—a country that has faced allegations related to the propagation of terrorism, and a culture that has occasionally given rise to extremist elements. It is a nation grappling with economic challenges, relying significantly on foreign aid or participation in cricketing events, the latter of which India has chosen not to engage with recently.
| Claim | Sunil Gavaskar has said that BCCI has ruined and politicised the cricket by hijacking it. |
| Claimed by | Pakistani Twitter users |
| Fact Check | Fake |
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