Following his meteoric rise in franchise cricket, Sooryavanshi faced criticism after shoving Sri Lanka A player Vishen Halambage following a dramatic encounter that Sri Lanka won in the Super Over. The incident sparked a sharp divide among fans, commentators and social media users. Several observers urged restraint, arguing that the young batter deserved understanding and that the episode should serve as a lesson early in his career. Others blamed Halambage, alleging that the Sri Lankan player had repeatedly sledged and taunted Sooryavanshi throughout the Tri-Nation series before the Indian batter finally lost his composure.
If I was India A coach or manager I would have left Vaibhav Suryavanshi out for this game v AFG. Only to let him know that’s it’s not OK to get physical on the field. Whatever the provocations.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 17, 2026
As opinions remained divided over responsibility for the incident, former India batter and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar took a firm position. He stated that physical contact on the cricket field was unacceptable regardless of any provocation. Manjrekar further said that, had he been in a position of authority, he would have dropped Sooryavanshi from the fifth Tri-Nation series fixture between India A and Afghanistan A to deliver a disciplinary message.
Soon afterwards, posts circulated claiming that Sooryavanshi had responded to Manjrekar on X, urging the commentator not to judge him solely on short video clips showing him charging towards Sri Lankan players and pushing Halambage. The alleged response quickly gained attention and fuelled further debate surrounding the teenager.
However, the claim was misleading. The post originated from an account operating under the handle @VaibhavSV12. The account described itself as a "Professional Cricketer" and tagged both the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Rajasthan Royals. It also carried a verified badge and used a profile picture of Sooryavanshi wearing the Indian jersey, creating the impression that it belonged to the player.
Although fan pages and supporter accounts are permitted under X's rules and guidelines, impersonating a professional athlete may constitute inauthentic activity. According to the platform's impersonation policy, users are prohibited from impersonating individuals, groups or organisations to deceive others. While users are not required to display their real identities, they are not allowed to use false profile information to impersonate others. X permits compliant Parody, Commentary and Fan accounts only when their purpose is to discuss, satirise or share information.
The episode highlighted the growing challenges posed by misleading social media accounts and the ease with which false attribution can intensify controversies involving high-profile athletes. As scrutiny around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues, the incident underscored the importance of verifying online claims before accepting them as authentic.
About The Author
.jpg)
Comment List