As the landscape of Indian cricket underwent a tectonic shift, the former all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin sparked a necessary firestorm about the sport’s internal culture. Ashwin, who retired from the international scene after the famous Boxing Day Test in December 2024, spoke at the Revsportz Conclave in Kolkata, openly criticizing what he called the “disease” infecting the game: the rise of organized fan agendas and a personal value that puts stifling superhero culture above the sport itself.
Ravichandran Ashwin criticizes fan armies, warns against idolizing cricketers
Ashwin’s observations go beyond simple social media trolling. He pointed to a complex business structure in which player-centric narratives are produced and reinforced by PR machinery. He cited an alarming pattern in which private conversations at team breakfast tables often resurfaced online under the guise of organic fan opinions. While Ashwin was careful not to accuse active players of planting stories, he pointed out that the modern cricketer is now an entrepreneur and the pressure to increase brand value has led to an environment where bad-mouthing one’s peers has become a means of self-promotion.
“Where did it all start? We started creating stories around the players. We started shooting superhero culture, film culture. Who even talks about cricket now? Nobody talks about the game itself“, Ashwin said at the event.
The veteran spinner, who ended his career as India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker with 537 scalps, lamented the loss of the essence of cricket. Citing an example from the beginning of 2025 regarding technical analysis Shubman GillAshwin noted that the discourse immediately turned to personal comparisons rather than studies of the game. For Ashwin, the shift from analyzing the delivery to championing the “superhero” means moving away from the intellectual core of Indian cricket.
“Some time ago, I posted a Twitter thread about Shubman’s actions that led to his dismissal in a certain way. For me, it’s always about the ‘what’ and the ‘why,’ never the ‘who.’” he added.
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Dismantling star culture: The mandate of Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Gavaskar
Ashwin’s criticism fits perfectly with a wider movement currently sweeping the Indian dressing room. After the tough 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the head coach Gautam Gambhir sounded about the mission “build a super team, not superstars.” Gambhir, who led India to a historic Champions Trophy 2025 title and a third T20 World Cup in March 2026, has consistently argued that the media’s obsession with individual TRPs and social media followers is detrimental to collective success.
This feeling was echoed by the legend Sunil Gavaskarrecently urged the BCCI to impose stricter accountability. Gavaskar’s no-holds-barred advice emphasized that the “coddling” of stars must end, championing a culture where total devotion to the national icon is the only currency of choice. with the brave as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli entering the final stages of their careers, management focused on balancing the dressing room.
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