Team India batter Virat Kohli became the subject of a meme fest last week after he issued a clarification for liking an Instagram photo of actress Avneet Kaur. Kohli, however, is not the first Indian cricket star to be on the receiving end of online jokes and speculations over rumoured connection with actresses.
Here’s a look at five other instances where cricket met the world of showbiz and chaos followed.
Riyan Parag’s YouTube search history controversy
In May 2024, Rajasthan Royals player Riyan Parag caught the attention of netizens on social media when his YouTube search history revealed explicit searches about Bollywood actresses Ananya Panday and Sara Ali Khan during a live-stream.
Eagle-eyed netizens were quick to notice his past searches on the screen, including keywords related to Ananya Panday and Sara Ali Khan, leading to trolling on social media afterwards.
Shubman Gill gets trolled after Avneet Kaur cheers for India
Before becoming a part of online scrutiny in connection with Virat Kohli’s clarification, Avneet Kaur was a topic of discussion for romance linked to Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill. The young batter’s personal life has been the centre of media fascination, with rumours linking him to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s daughter Sara and recently, Avneet.
Last month, Gill and Sara, who were rumoured to be dating, unfollowed each other on social media, sparking speculation about a possible break-up. Adding fuel to fire, Avneet was seen cheering for Team India during their semi-final match with Australia. Fans took to the comments section of Avneet’s post and speculated that she was present at the Dubai stadium for Gill, with many of them supporting Sara amid rumours of them parting ways.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ‘like’ on Pooja Hegde’s Insta photos
When cricketer Ruturaj Gaikwad hit the ‘like’ button on actress Pooja Hegde’s Instagram photos, he faced flak from netizens. Fans mocked him, suggesting that he should focus on his cricket performance, especially after a series of low scores in IPL 2022. “You can start liking Pooja Hegde’s photos later, please focus on your form and start training harder. We need you to deliver to get back to winning ways in the tournament,” commented a CSK fan. Gaikwad joined KKR in this year’s IPL.
Rishabh Pant and Urvashi Rautela’s rumoured relationship
The rumoured relationship between Rishabh Pant and Urvashi Rautela has been discussed endlessly among netizens for several years. Back in 2022, Urvashi mentioned in an interview that a certain “Mr RP” waited for her in a hotel lobby for hours, a claim that Rishabh had denied on social media later.
Dismissing any association with the actress, Rishabh sharply responded in an Instagram story, urging people to “stay away” from such rumours.
Following Rishabh’s post, Urvashi shared a cryptic post with the caption, “Chotu bhaiya should play bat-ball…I’m not a munni to be disrespected.”
This indirect social media exchange grabbed the attention of a large number of netizens. Later, Urvashi clarified in an interview that the rumours linking her with Rishabh were “unfounded” and dismissed the media frenzy, mentioning that she wants to focus on her acting career.
Hardik Pandya and Parineeti Chopra’s ‘romantic’ exchange on X
Hardik Pandya’s divorce with Serbian dancer-model Nataša Stanković has resulted in trolls criticising the latter on social media. Before the recent developments, a friendly banter between the Team India all-rounder and actress Parineeti Chopra in 2017 prompted fans to speculate about romance between the two.
The Ishaqzaade actress had shared a picture of a bicycle on her X handle, saying, “The perfect trip with the most amazing partner. Love is in the air”. Hardik quoted her tweet and wrote, “Can I guess? I think this is a second Bollywood & Cricket link. Great click by the way.”
The exchange fascinated Twitteratis and got further traction when the 36-year-old actress resplied, “Hahaha. Maybe. Maybe not. All I can say is that the clue is in the pic itself.”
While fans were convinced about their relationship, the actress shared a post the next day, clarifying that she merely meant to flaunt her new phone.
What happened in the Virat Kohli-Avneet Kaur case
In Virat’s case, he had quickly removed the ‘like’, but not before screenshots spread like wildfire, sparking memes and speculation. Hashtags like “#ViratLikedAvneet” trended across X and Instagram, with netizens tagging Anushka Sharma and fan accounts calling Avneet “accidental viral queen”.
The cricketer quickly posted a clarification on his Instagram stories, attributing the issue to an algorithm mistake and aiming to dispel growing rumours on social media. By then, the incident had resulted in Avneet’s follower count spiking by 2 million on Instagram as her name trended for 48 hours straight.
Following the controversy, Avneet, who initially had approximately 30 million Instagram followers, is attracting more brand endorsements and hikes in post value, according to reports. The actress currently has 31.8 million followers on Instagram.