New Delhi: Bollywood actress Vidya Balan’s team issued a clarification after she was heavily criticised by Indian cricket fans on social media for allegedly posting a paid ‘PR-forwarded’ message praising Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. Vidya had taken to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Rohit after the Indian skipper revealed he ‘stood down’ as captain and decided to opt out of the recently concluded 5th and final Test against Australia owing to his poor form with the bat.
Rohit was excluded from India’s playing XI for the must-win Test match after managing only 31 runs in the last three games. He was replaced by Jasprit Bumrah as captain. However, the move didn’t work for India as the visitors ended up suffering a crushing six-wicket defeat in the Sydney Test to lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 against Australia.
Looks like Vidya Balan accidentally posted the WhatsApp text that PR teams sends to celebs pic.twitter.com/sEinPUPzZf
— Gaurav (@Melbourne__82) January 4, 2025
Nonetheless, Vidya’s tweet on Rohit which came on Day 2 of the 5th Test on Saturday, caught the attention of cricket fans on social media and went viral in no time. Many lashed out at the Bollywood star, claiming it was a paid tweet as Vidya has never in the past posted about Rohit or cricket in general on social media.
In an interview in the past, the actress had called the legendary Sachin Tendulkar her favourite cricketer. Thus, her tweet left many surprised, making it obvious it was part of a PR activity for the current Indian skipper. “Rohit Sharma, what a SUPERSTAR. To take a pause & catch your breath requires courage … More power to you … Respect !! @ImRo45,” Vidya had tweeted.
Vidya Balan’s team issues clarification after outrage
Vidya’s team decided to issue a clarification after massive outrage on social media as cricket fans called her out for the alleged paid tweet. In a statement, the Bollywood actress’ team rubbished the claims and stated that the tweet was posted by Vidya on her own volition after she was left touched by Rohit’s gesture to step down as captain and give up his spot in the playing XI for India amid poor form.
“Let it be unequivocally stated that Ms Balan posted this completely of her own volition because she was moved by his selfless act, and NOT by request from his PR team. Ms.Balan is not an avid sports fan, but she is a fan of those who show dignity and class under trying circumstances. To attribute her actions to anything other than a spontaneous reaction to something she found admirable is completely preposterous,” read the statement from Vidya’s team, as per Hindustan Times.
Vidya’s tweet on Rohit sparked a hilarious meme fest on social media as fans took a dig at the senior India batter with funny tweets, imitating the Bollywood actress’ post. Fans also slammed Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh for allegedly orchestrating the PR activity to save the cricketer’s image amid calls for his retirement from Test cricket.
Bollywood actress Vidya Balan’s team released a statement, responding to the claims that she did a paid ‘PR-forwarded’ tweet for Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma that went viral on social media. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
