India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, on Thursday, sparked a stir on the internet after his verdict on the social media culture in the Indian team, leaving fans thinking if it was a veiled dig at Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. Jadeja’s comment came during his conversation with former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin on the YouTube show Kutti Stories with Ash’.
During the interaction, the former India cricketer asked Jadeja about his thoughts on judgments passed on social media and fans commenting on a player’s form. The former Chennai Super Kings captain admitted that while those comments are unfair, what matters to him is the respect earned in the dressing room from colleagues.
“It’s unfair because you don’t know the player’s mindset and personality. People judge based on social media comments. I strongly believe that a player should earn respect in the dressing room. Your social media profile and engagement doesn’t matter if you can’t gain the respect of your teammates in the dressing room,” he said.
Ashwin quickly interrupted saying that likes and engagements can now be bought on social media and Jadeja agreed saying that people are engaged in such acts.
“Yes, players do buy likes now on social media. Some are organic, some are bought, and the trend nowadays is to buy engagement, which is useless. As a player, what matters more to me is the respect my teammates have for me in the dressing room. And if there is no respect, there is a sense of disconnect that would be there, clearly visible,” he added.
Jadeja’s ‘players do buy likes now on social media’ comment left the internet thinking it was an indirect jibe at Kohli and Rohit.
With the IPL 2025 season over for Jadeja after an early exit for Chennai Super Kings, who finished bottom of the table for the first time in an edition, the all-rounder will be resting for a few days before leaving for England for a Test tour. The Shubman Gill-led Indian team, in the absence of Ashwin, Kohli and Rohit, will play five Test matches against England, starting June 20.
