Thursday, 23 January 2025
Thursday, 23 January 2025
The much-anticipated return to domestic cricket for India captain Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal was a huge disappointment as most of them were dismissed 3, 1, 4 and 4 runs in their Ranji Trophy matches on Thursday, leaving both fans and critics disappointed on their much-hyped return.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had made it mandatory for contracted players to feature in domestic tournaments. The decision comes after their poor show in the recent Test matches, against New zealand at home and against Australia.
Ravindra Jadeja, playing for Saurashtra against Delhi grabbed a five-wicket haul, proving once again why he remains one of the most reliable all-rounders in the Indian team.
But the underwhelming performances of other stars unleashed wit and sarcasm on social media.
A viral meme portrayed Gautam Gambhir as being the happiest man with Sharma’s poor show. Using a famous scene from the movie Taal, the meme swaps Akshaye Khanna’s face with Gambhir’s, showing him trembling with joy.
Rumours of Gambhir’s discontent with Rohit’s leadership during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had made headlines earlier. Per reports, Gambhir wasn’t impressed with Rohit’s decision-making on the field, sparking speculations of a simmering rift and they also had disagreements during Champions Trophy squad selection.
Another hilarious meme features a monkey sneaking on a mountain road, spots something and then quickly turning back and running for life.
The meme pokes fun at Vidya Balan, who was trolled earlier for allegedly posting PR-driven praises of Sharma.
This meme suggested she’d think twice before showing public support after Rohit’s Ranji debacle. Rather, roll back her support.
Playing for Mumbai, against Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma departed for three runs.
India’s star-studded batting line-up in the Ranji Trophy was roasted with a meme straight out of the movie Bhagam Bhag.
Rohit, Pant, Gill, and Jaiswal’s faces were pasted onto characters in a hospital, bandaged and broken as they managed to survive a battle.
A popular clip of four people carrying oversized cooking utensils on their heads was reimagined to represent Rohit, Jaiswal, Gill, and Pant.
In the clip, one person’s sudden stop causes a chain reaction as everyone crashes into each other.
The internet drew parallels to the stars’ poor coordination and continuous lacklustre performances.
One of the funniest memes showed a smiling man running into a room carrying pizza boxes for a party only to find the place on fire.
The meme captured the chaos of fans logging onto the internet to check the scores of their favourite players, only to be met with the reality of their low scores.
Ravindra Jadeja’s five-wicket haul stood out as the silver lining in an otherwise dismal outing for India’s star players.
A meme celebrating Jadeja’s brilliance shows a collage of two images: Jadeja displays the ball after his fifer and dressed as a regal Rajput king.
The text read, "Cheetah’s movement, falcon’s glance, and Jadeja’s bowling should never be doubted," a nod to his consistency in tough situations.
Not just Rohit, Pant, and Jaiswal — Indian cricket's other top guns also faltered. Ajinkya Rahane managed 12 before walking back, while Shreyas Iyer scored 11 and Ruturaj Gaikwad made 10 runs. Shivam Dube departed for a three-ball duck and Rajat Patidar scored a golden duck.
