Cricketers Who Publicly Confronted Commentators (Source: AFP & X.com)
In May 2025, the former Indian captain and one of the most vocal cricketers around the world, Rohit Sharma, publicly hit out at the quality of commentary and cricket journalism in the country. Sharma claimed it is more focused on creating controversy and adding ‘masala’ rather than discussing the nuances of the game.
Further, Rohit said that the current state of commentary in India is a disservice to genuine cricket lovers who are eager to deepen their understanding of the sport.
Rohit is not the only player to have voiced concerns about the standard of commentary in India.
Recently, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal hit back on social media at a senior commentator, stating that critics should not pass judgement without knowing the context of what was said.
Along the same lines, in this article, let’s take a look at five instances when Indian cricketers confronted commentators publicly.
1) Yashasvi Jaiswal shuts Harsha Bhogle down after ‘Headbutt Incident’ on August 23, 2026
Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remained the most talked-about topic on day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo. The cause of which was his ugly physical altercation with Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando.
Before this altercation, Fernando had conceded three boundaries to Jaiswal earlier in the same over. Thus, a wounded fast bowler, upon taking Jaiswal’s wicket, responded with an animated send-off.
Jaiswal initially walked off, but turned around and exchanged words, eventually headbutting Fernando, causing ugly scenes at the crease.
Also read: Cricketers Who Have Been Punished For On-Field Fights
Post the incident, Harsha Bhogle condemned Jaiswal’s action, saying, “So if someone's said something to him, the best thing to do in such a situation is to walk away."
However, Jaiswal chose not to remain silent and confronted the veteran commentator in the comments section of the Instagram post.
"If you don't know what he said, then please don't make your judgement. If anyone crosses the line, we need to let them know. This India will fight and reply," Jaiswal wrote.
The Indian opener’s comment clearly implied that Fernando had said something Jaiswal considered unacceptable. The reaction was provoked rather than gratuitous.
2) Ravindra Jadeja called Sanjay Manjrekar out on Twitter during the 2019 Cricket World Cup
During the 2019 ODI World Cup, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja lashed out at cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar on Twitter (now X). The matter stemmed from Manjrekar’s comments calling Jadeja a "bits and pieces player" in 50-over cricket.
Jadeja tweeted that he had played twice as many matches as Manjrekar, telling him to "learn to respect people" and that he had "heard enough of your verbal diarrhoea".
The two later moved past the incident, famously sharing a lighthearted moment during an on-field interview at the 2022 Asia Cup.
3) MS Dhoni targeted Harsha Bhogle for being biased in 2016
Back in 2016, Harsha Bhogle found himself in the middle of controversy during the T20 World Cup in India. Bhogle seemingly irked some top Indian players by focusing on opposition teams, especially when India played Bangladesh.
Notably, after India narrowly beat Bangladesh in a thrilling match, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, "With all due respect, it's the Indian commentators that need to speak more about Indian players."
MS Dhoni, the then Indian white-ball captain, added fuel to the fire by replying with a cryptic tweet, saying, "Nothing to add."
While Bhogle never directly responded to the tweets, he was further removed from the commentary panel for the Indian Premier League (IPL) later that year, which many believed was due to this controversy.
4) Kohli-Bumrah took down Kerry O'Keeffe, Mark Waugh for mocking Indian domestic cricket (2018)
The then Indian skipper Virat Kohli and pacer Jasprit Bumrah on December 30, 2018, silenced former Australian cricketers Kerry O’Keeffe and Mark Waugh for their ‘unsavoury’ remark about India’s domestic cricket structure while commentating for Australia’s official broadcaster.
In a sarcastic tone, speaking about Bumrah, after winning the third Test match, Kohli attributed his emergence as a lethal pacer to India’s “amazing domestic structure”.
“Our first-class cricket is amazing, which is why we won. Credit must go to first-class set-up in India, which challenges our fast bowlers in India, and that helps them abroad,” Virat Kohli said.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was awarded Man of the Match for his 9/86, also mentioned the contribution of the elite domestic red-ball competition, the Ranji Trophy, behind his success in the longest format of the game.
“We train very hard and we are used to bowling a lot of overs in Ranji cricket, so the body is doing well,” Bumrah said.
5) MS Dhoni playfully slammed Ravi Shastri after 2007 T20 World Cup semi-final win
Back in 2007, MS Dhoni had conquered Ravi Shastri during the presentation ceremony after the 2007 T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia. The Men in Blue won the match to qualify for the summit clash.
For the unversed, at the time, Shastri wrote columns for Cricinfo before taking on the head coach’s role. Ahead of the India vs Australia semi-final, Shastri picked Australia as favourites for the clash.
However, when a young Team India led by Dhoni defeated Australia, Dhoni playfully called out Shastri during the post-match presentation.
He noted that he read Shastri’s article naming Australia as the favourites, smiling as he declared, "I think me and the boys, we proved you wrong."
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