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Distasteful: Anushka Sharma Reacts To Sunil Gavaskar's Commentary On Virat Kohli's IPL Performance

"It's 2020 and things still don't change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements?" Anushka Sharma said in an Insta post.

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Tanvi Akhauri
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Anushka Sharma, Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, Sunil Gavaskar's comment 'distasteful'. Stop blaming Anushka Sharma for Virat Kohli’s performance. Anushka Sharma Sunil Gavaskar

Cricket veteran Sunil Gavaskar, while commentating on Virat Kohli's performance during the Indian Premier League (IPL) yesterday mentioned his wife, Anushka Sharma. Referencing an old video that had surfaced of Sharma and Kohli playing cricket during the lockdown, Gavaskar said, “Ab joh lockdown tha to sirf Anushka ki bowling ki practice ki unhone... usse to kuch nahi hona hai." (During the lockdown he only practised to Anushka’s bowling... But that won't be enough.) Sharma has not taken well to the remark, and slammed Gavaskar on social media for "dragging" her into his commentary without reason.

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The actor took to Instagram to voice her disappointment, writing, "That, Mr. Gavaskar, your message is distasteful is a fact but I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her of her husband’s game? I’m sure over the years you have respected the private lives of every cricketer while commenting on the game. Don’t you think you should have an equal amount of respect for me and us?"

Read her full message here:

Anushka Sharma, cricket, Virat Kohli Source: Anushka Sharma, Instagram

Also Read: Mithali Raj says India's women cricketers 'anxious' about game in COVID impacted world

Social Media Debates Whether Gavaskar's Remark Was Right Or Not

Gavaskar’s remarks came during the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) after Kohli seemingly underperformed. Soon social media users began debating whether Gavaskar's statements were in good taste or not.

Some fans alleged that Gavaskar's words had earlier been twisted out of context and accorded with a distasteful meaning, which had led to the backlash. One user wrote, "One twitter user misheard something that Sunil Gavaskar said. His tweet goes viral and now everyone believes his tweet is the truth... He (Gavaskar) did not correlate Virat's performance with Anushka (This comment was before Kohli got out)."

Also Read: 24-Year-Old Mother Rides 1800 km On A Scooter To Meet Her Son

Meanwhile, trolls had already begun attacking Sharma, blaming her for Kohli's performance in the game yesterday.

Also Read: Sanya Khatri On What It's Like Being A Woman PUBG Player In India

Anushka Sharma Has Previously Been Targeted

Sharma also asked in her Instagram story, "It's 2020 and things still don't change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements?"

Sharma has been credited and discredited multiple times by fans and other cricketers on account of her husband, Kohli, over the years. In 2018, Sharma had appeared in a photo with the Indian cricket team at the High Commission of India in London. It had led to a huge uproar among fans who pointed out that Sharma was the only spouse present in the picture, which to some had seemed like an intrusion.

Then in 2019, cricketer Farokh Engineer had taken a dig at her during the World Cup, saying, "All they were doing was getting Anushka Sharma cups of tea."

Following these events, Sharma had uploaded a long statement elaborating on her grievances:

Image Credit: Anushka Sharma Instagram

Anushka Sharma Virat Kohli IPL sunil gavaskar Royal Challengers Bangalore
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