Former India opener Aakash Chopra reacted with disbelief to social media posts that named Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane as potential candidates for India's next chief selector role. The speculation circulated widely across social media platforms, prompting Chopra to address the claims directly and highlight the broader problem of misinformation spreading without proper verification.
Chopra expressed his reaction to seeing the two names mentioned in connection with the position, emphasising how the ease of creating convincing fake images and posts has made it simpler for unverified claims to spread online. He noted that graphic designers previously had to be hired to create such content, but modern technology has made the process far easier, allowing absolutely believable images to circulate regularly without any factual basis.
"Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane, when I saw those two names mentioned, I laughed and smiled a little. Someone used to verify it earlier, but now we try to do it. How much can the ones verifying do?" Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
Why Ashwin and Rahane do not meet eligibility criteria
The core issue, according to Chopra, is that both Ashwin and Rahane do not meet the eligibility criteria required to become India's chief selector. There are specific requirements that candidates must satisfy to take up the role of national senior team selector. Both players have played enough international matches to technically qualify on that basis, but they fall short on another critical requirement.
"There are criteria if you want to become the national senior team's selector. You have to play so many games. They qualify that criteria, but they should have retired five years ago," Chopra said.
"Rahane has retired this month. Ravichandran Ashwin retired last year. They are not eligible at all," he added.
How viral posts spread unverified claims
Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket on December 18, 2024, during India's tour of Australia. Ajinkya Rahane retired in August 2026. According to the eligibility rules, a candidate must be at least five years retired from international cricket to be considered for the chief selector position. This means Ashwin would not become eligible until December 2029 at the earliest, while Rahane's eligibility timeline would extend similarly from his retirement date.
The social media posts about these two players gained significant traction online. The high engagement on these posts demonstrated how quickly unverified claims can spread across social platforms.
"The Ashwin one is from an Instagram handle, 'sportsclaus.' There are 1,116 comments on that, and it has been reposted 586 times. There is one on VVS Laxman as well. There are almost 10,500 likes on that, and it has been shared 1,640 times. Is VVS Laxman going to become? Nobody knows," Chopra said.
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Speculation about the chief selector position also extended to other names, including VVS Laxman. Earlier, there had been talk of Laxman being appointed as the Test coach in place of Gautam Gambhir. Now, social media posts were suggesting that Laxman could become the chairman of selectors instead. Chopra noted that these claims were being presented as breaking news without any confirmed source or official announcement.
"Here, it has been put as breaking news. This is also from 'sportsclaus,' that he is now emerging as the leading candidate. I don't know who the leading candidate is, but there can't be so many. There was also talk of VVS Laxman being made the coach, that he would be made the Test coach in place of Gautam Gambhir. Now it's being said that he would become the chairman of selectors," Chopra said.