Recently retired Indian cricket star Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken out against the growing trend of toxic fan wars, particularly on social media platforms.

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He highlighted how these conflicts, primarily between supporters of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are harming the spirit of cricket discussions.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ash ki Baat, Ashwin emphasized the importance of discussing cricket objectively rather than debating ton a player’s brand value or comparing individuals unfairly.

In his words, “Fan wars on social media are becoming very toxic. I have always said, let’s discuss cricket as cricket and not like the brand value of a player,”

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Why does Ashwin find this trend problematic?

Ashwin drew from his own experience as a cricket fan to explain his concerns. He shared how, during his younger days, he was a devoted admirer of Sachin Tendulkar.

However, that admiration never made him disrespect other players like Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble.

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“Take for example, as a cricket fan, I used to be a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. That doesn’t mean I will talk poorly of Rahul Dravid. I like Rahul Dravid too, but I liked Sachin very much. And I consider Anil bhai as a role model. I looked up to Harbhajan Singh too,” said Ashwin.

Using this analogy, Ashwin explained that being a fan of one player doesn’t mean others should be demeaned.

“Liking one player more doesn’t mean you go on abusing others. These fan wars are a new trend,” he added.

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