The Evolution of Indian Cricket Fans : From Deep Emotions to Toxic Fan Wars

When I was a kid, my grandfather used to tell me stories about cricketers from his era. Sometimes he would talk about M.A.K Pataudi, sometimes Farokh Engineer, and other times Gundappa Viswanath. He shared countless stories of so many legendary players. One day,I asked him, “Dada-ji, who was your favourite cricketer back in your time?” He replied that he didn’t remeber his exact age, but he was probably 31 or 32 years old during the 1971 India vs West Indies series. M.A.K Pataudi had been dropped, and Ajit Wadekar was appointed as the captain. India had a highly inexperienced batting line-up, but carrying that entire team on his shoulders was a 21–22 year old young man named Sunil Gavaskar! He scored 774 runs in that series with an unbelievable average of almost 155. From that point on, Sunil Gavaskar became his absolute favourite. My grandfather used to say that as long as Sunil Gavaskar was at the crease, he felt India couldn’t lose-the match would either end in a draw or we will win(India would win).

The way he said “we will win” beautifully shows how deeply connected he was to the indian team. What incredible emotions and bonds they must have shared! And this wasn’t just my grandfather; back then, anyone who watched,played,or supported cricket in India felt the exact same way. For them, the 11 players representing the country were like family members. A win for the team felt like a personal victory, and a loss felt like a personal failure. Every emotion was celebrated together.

The next generation(the era of our parents)-shared a similar emotion for the game. They too celebrated India’s wins and losses as one. People of that generation were strictly team-centric fans. They were so emotionally invested that if India lost a World Cup match, families wouldn’t cook food at home, and some would even break their TV sets out of sheer frustration. The moment Sachin Tendulkar got out, almost the entire country would turn off their TVs. it showed pure, raw emotion.

The Shift : Team-Centric to Player-Centric

In stark contrast, our generation has become largely player-centric. Many modern fans don’t seem to care about the country or the team as a whole; they only care about one specific player out of the 11 who happens to be their favorite. It doesn’t matter how the team performs, or whether India wins or loses. As long as their favorite player is scoring runs or taking wickets, they are satisfied. They view personal milestones as massive achievements, just so they have a strong portfolio to flex or compare when engaging in 1v1 cricket debates on social media.

The reason behind this shift is very simple: the IPL and social media content creators.

Before the launch of the IPL, everything was fine. Even during the early seosons of the tournament, things were healthy. But a new seasons came year after year, Indian cricket fans became deeply divided. They started splitting into groups based on player statistics and personal milestones, eventually reaching a point where they began hating and defaming their own national players.

Now, when major tournaments like ODI World Cup or T20 World Cup take place, these fans heavily criticize and troll player if they fail. But the shocking part is, even when a player saying,”It was a flat-track pitch,” “ It was a bowling-friendly track,” “The opponent was weak,” or “The opposition didn’t play their strongest XI.” And if they run out of things to criticize, they will randomly start comparing current players with retired legends who played in a completely different era.

I honestly don’t understand how these comparisons make any sense. Those legends were different styles of batsmen or bowlers, who played in different timelines under entirely different conditions. How can someone look down upon, criticize, or troll a player from their own country? The past players did what they had to do; the new players are here to create their own legacy, and they bring own unique flavor to the game.

Unfortunately, modern indian fandom has devolved into targeting players through memes, spreading hate against rival cricketers, making toxic comparisons, and leaving abusive comments targeted at players and their families on social media platforms.

Real-World Examples of Modern Toxicity

Example 1

In 2023, when Pat Cummins led Australia to a Cricket World Cup victory,instead of appreciating his incredible achievement, many Indian fans chose to troll and criticize him on social media. Ironically, if they sam Pat Cummins had won an IPL trophy for their favorite franchise, those exact same people would have become his biggest fans.

Example 2

Because of the IPL, the indian fan base has majorly split into three massive camps: CSK,MI, and RCB-revolving around MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. These fan bases never miss a single opportunity to troll one another.

Fans are so divided that some argue the 2023 World Cup was “only deserved” by Rohit Sharma, while others claim it was “only deserved” by Virat kohli. But why? What about the other 10 players who put in equal effort and hard work? Similarly, when discussing the 2019 World Cup semifinal loss, one group blames Dhoni for “intentionally loosing”,another blames Kohli, and another blames Rohit.

As soon as the IPL season arrives, these fan bases create fake accounts across social media platforms with the sole purpose of defaming rival players. Sadly, they treat rising young talents the eaxct same way-ruining their confidence with toxic abuse.

Take Vaibhav Suryavanshi, for example, who is a generational talent. Instead of backing him, people are already comparing him to Chris Gayle, dismissing his incredible achievement of hitting 72 sixes in this IPL season by claiming he played on flat pitches. They conveniently forget that every other player had the exact same opportunity on those pitches. It is disheartening to see Indians themselves labeling our own young talents as mere “sloggers.”

when a nation refuses to let its own players grow and thrive, it genuinely makes you feel that these players shouldn’t even have to play for such a crowd.

That is all.