"You don't want to spoil players' limited career span" - Aakash Chopra on false reports of Bhuvneshwar Kumar not wanting to play Tests
Aakash Chopra has said that the media should verify their sources before spreading false rumors as they could jeopardize the already short career span of cricketers.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not part of the Indian Test squad that was selected for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the five-match series against England. Certain reports at the time suggested that the swing bowler did not want to play the longest format of the game anymore.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar subsequently denied these rumors and reiterated the same ahead of the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra hoped that such false rumors are not spread. He elaborated:
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar has said that he has not mentioned that he doesn't want to play Tests, he can't do anything if he is not played. I really hope all people who spread rumors verify their sources because you don't want to spoil players' limited career span. They already have enough pressure, your pressure is baseless."
The former India cricketer also expressed his sympathy for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as the latter had to come up with a statement. Aakash Chopra said:
"This is a problem that it is someone's brainchild and you run it as a story. And after that, it spreads like wildfire and the person is left to just douse the fire. So, I sympathize with Bhuvneshwar Kumar."
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was probably not selected in the Indian Test team for the tour of England as he has been afflicted with injuries in the recent past. The selectors might not have had the confidence in his ability to bowl extended spells.
"The player actually feels very bad" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra observed that such false reports are like rubbing salt in the player's wounds. He pointed out a similar incident involving KL Rahul:
"The player actually feels very bad. Firstly, he has not got selected and after that people are spreading rumors that he doesn't want to play. The latest news that has come is that Rahul has said he doesn't want to open, whether Rahul has said that or the team management, we don't know."
The 43-year-old signed off by castigating the perpetrators of such rumors. Aakash Chopra stated:
"If Rahul has not said this and someone has just spread the rumor, Rahul will be thinking why he has been pulled into this. Such misinformation is a devil."
Certain reports suggested that the Indian team management had raised a demand for additional openers to be sent across to England when Shubman Gill was ruled out of the series due to injury. One of the reasons given by the media was Rahul's wish to play in the middle order and not as an opener.