• Indian cricketer Shubman Gill and Bollywood actress Ananya Panday teamed up for a brand shoot with Beats by Dre.

  • Social media users tagged Riyan Parag in that post to revived memories of his earlier controversy.

Social media bursts with memes as Riyan Parag gets trolled after Shubman Gill-Ananya Panday ad collaboration
Shubman Gill, Ananya Panday and Riyan Parag (Image Source: X)

Riyan Parag, an up-and-coming Indian cricketer, found himself embroiled in a significant controversy several months ago – not due to his on-field exploits, but because of an accidental exposure of his YouTube search history during a live stream.

Riyan Parag’s YouTube search controversy

The incident revealed that Parag had searched for Bollywood actresses Ananya Panday and Sara Ali Khan in an explicit manner, using terms like “Ananya Panday hot” and “Sara Ali Khan hot.” This slip-up quickly ignited a firestorm of public backlash, with many criticizing Parag for his inappropriate online behavior. The controversy unfortunately overshadowed his impressive performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he had accumulated an outstanding 573 runs for his franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Also READ: IPL 2025: Rahul Dravid joins Rajasthan Royals as head coach

Shubman Gill and Ananya Panday’s collaboration rekindles controversy

The controversy surrounding Riyan Parag resurfaced recently due to an unrelated yet coincidental event. Indian cricketer Shubman Gill and Bollywood actress Ananya Panday teamed up for a brand shoot with Beats by Dre, which was publicly announced alongside a social media post captioned “Namaste India.” The collaboration quickly went viral, sparking renewed interest in Parag’s past mistake. Social media users, particularly on Twitter, began trolling Parag, tagging him in posts related to the brand shoot and reviving memories of his earlier controversy.

Here’s how Fans reacted:

 

Parag and Gill set to return to the field amidst renewed attention

Despite the renewed online chatter, both Parag and Gill are preparing to return to cricket action in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2024-25, set to begin on Thursday (September 5). Gill, who will captain the India A team, is poised to lead his squad against India B at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The 16-member squad boasts notable players like Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul, with Parag also featured under Gill’s leadership in this highly anticipated tournament.

Also READ: Duleep Trophy 2024: India A’s best playing XI – feat Shubman Gill

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