Sunil Gavaskar threatens cricket website with legal action over fake article

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has denied authoring an article falsely attributed to him on a cricket website and has warned of legal action against those responsible. The column, titled “A New Era in Leadership: Bumrah’s Captaincy and Kohli’s Leadership Revive Team India,” was published by the website Cricket Ception, claiming to be written by the legendary cricketer.

In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday, Gavaskar clarified that he had no connection to the article and demanded its immediate removal. He also called on the website to issue a public apology, warning that failure would result in legal action.

Addressing the issue, Gavaskar described the article as “completely fake” and reiterated that he had not contributed to it. He urged Cricket Ception to remove the content and formally apologize, emphasizing that his legal team would handle the matter if his demands were unmet.

Gavaskar also took the opportunity to caution fans about misinformation online, advising them to verify content before believing it. In the caption of his Instagram post, he wrote, “Never believe everything you see on the Internet #alwaysverify.”

The incident coincided with the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at Perth Stadium, where stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah led India to a dominant position. Bumrah’s stellar performance with the ball, taking 5-30, helped bowl out Australia for 104, marking their third-lowest home Test score since 2000. By tea on day two, India had extended their lead to over 100 runs, setting the tone for a commanding match performance.

The controversy has sparked discussions about the spread of fake news and the responsibilities of media outlets in ensuring content authenticity. Meanwhile, Cricket Ception has yet to respond publicly to Gavaskar’s allegations.

With IANS inputs