1 week ago
4
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readJan 29, 2026 01:12 PM IST
File image of R Ashwin and Virat Kohli sharing a joke. (Photo: BCCI)
The adulation surrounding Indian cricketers has taken on a new form in recent years, with fan wars on social media becoming commonplace as supporters of different players lock horns over performances, selections and legacy.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has often spoken about the excesses of modern-day fandom, weighed in on the subject on Thursday with a typically measured response to a social media user.
The user accused Ashwin of taking an indirect dig at Virat Kohli by suggesting that it was Rohit Sharma who revitalised India’s T20 approach following their 10-wicket loss to England in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Adelaide. The post also alleged that Ashwin had belittled Kohli’s knock in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, while bringing up selection-related grievances involving both Rohit and Kohli.
Ashwin, however, chose humour over confrontation. The 39-year-old replied that he had shared the post with Kohli himself and that the two had laughed it off, calling out the nature of “click-baity fan wars” on social media.
The 106-Test veteran replied to the user, saying that he had shared the comments with Kohli and both players had a laugh about it. He added that the conversation had given them a reason to bond and talk, as well.
“Just spoke to Virat about “Rajiv1841’s” concern on the indirect attack, and we both had a good laugh about how social media works on such click baity fan wars. Thanks for giving us a reason to bond and talk,” Ashwin wrote in reply to the user’s post on X (formerly Twitter).
Just spoke to Virat about “Rajiv1841’s” concern on the indirect attack and we both had a good laugh about how social media works on such click baity fan wars.
Thanks for giving us a reason to bond and talk.☺️☺️ https://t.co/0tXfxoNM6y
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 29, 2026
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Both Kohli and Rohit are likely to be next seen in action during the Indian Premier League, post the 2026 T20 World Cup. Both stalwarts are likely to next play for India during the tour of England in July, where India are scheduled to play three ODIs, starting at Edgbaston on July 14.
English (US) ·