Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag was heavily criticized by fans on social media for repeatedly kicking Ravichandran Ashwin, who made his Indian Premier League commentary debut on JioStar on Saturday, March 29.
What started as banter between Sehwag and Ashwin, with both players trying to pull each other’s legs, soon turned sour after it started repeating itself. Sehwag, instead of analyzing the match, started telling personal stories, some of which were aimed at Ashwin.
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Fans were particularly unhappy about one incident that has since gone viral. Reportedly, during the match, Sehwag asked Ashwin to use a little less of his brain while commentating. What initially appeared to be banter turned into an awkward silence as Sehwag stretched the matter further than necessary.
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The former Indian off-spinner, known for his wit, did not take it lying down and went ahead with the exchange. Things went slightly overboard when Sehwag allegedly poked Ashwin again, suggesting one shouldn’t analyze the game too much on the commentary panel.
“Today we will speak from the heart, not with logic or careful thinking,” Sehwag said.
Ashwin was quick to react.
“My parents always taught me to think before I speak and never say anything without thinking. But you are telling me to do the complete opposite,” replied Ashwin.
Sehwag then made a remark that appeared to be a direct dig at Ashwin and the YouTube and Instagram following he had built up over the past few years.
“Some people deliberately think before they speak. They say, ‘This player has more fans’. If I speak negatively about him, my followers will decrease. If I speak positively, my followers will increase,” Sehwag was quoted as saying.
It should be mentioned that India Today has not been able to verify the exact sequence of events.
Fans reacted strongly to the exchange, calling out Sehwag and other Hindi commentators for what they perceived to be a poor level of storytelling in the opening match of the season. This comes in the backdrop of criticism leveled at commentators like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Aakash Chopra, who have faced flak in recent times.
In fact, Chopra issued a public statement during the World Cup claiming that there was a targeted hate campaign against him.
The episode again focused on the balance between entertainment and analysis in live commentary, with viewers expecting sharper observations rather than lengthy personal banter, especially in high-profile broadcasts such as the Indian Premier League.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
29 March 2026 18:26 IST
