NEW DELHI: In a striking display of his commitment to integrity in sports media, former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has publicly denounced a fan for fabricating content by manipulating his commentary. The fan in question edited Chopra’s commentary clip to falsely connect it with visuals of MS Dhoni walking out to bat during an IPL 2025 match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 28 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The manipulated video misleads viewers into believing that Chopra’s commentary was about MS Dhoni’s arrival at the crease. However, the truth is that the original commentary by Chopra was regarding an impressive six hit by Dhoni during the game.
Chopra, who has always been vocal about the importance of authentic content, took to the social media platform ‘X’ to express his disdain for the deceptive video. He posted, “Six maarne ki commentary ko arrival visuals par chipka do…views/engagement badha lo. God bless you, Kushagra.” This direct and pointed remark underscores the growing concern over the spread of misinformation within the sports media landscape.
The video in question is no longer playable, with viewers seeing the message ‘The media could not be played’. This incident sheds light on the critical need for accuracy and truthfulness in content creation and sharing, particularly in the fast-paced world of cricket where fan engagement is high.
Despite the controversy, the match itself was notable for CSK’s performance. CSK faced a 50-run defeat against RCB, but MS Dhoni managed to captivate the audience with a striking 30 not out off just 16 balls. His innings included three fours and two sixes, further cementing his reputation as a formidable finisher. Additionally, Dhoni’s contribution in this match allowed him to surpass Suresh Raina’s tally of 4,687 runs, making him CSK’s all-time leading run-scorer in IPL history at the age of 43.