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Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has taken a dig at modern-day sportspeople for excessive use of social media. He reckons that modern-day players like to focus more on followers, likes and comments than their practice skills.
The two-time World Cup winner with Team India further claimed that he was successful because social media didn’t exist during his younger days.
In a couple of videos uploaded on his Instagram account, Gambhir can be seen advising the youth at an event organized by the Shri Ram College of Commerce. He said:
“Guys, social media is the fakest thing that can happen in this country and especially for people of your age. Trust me. You know why I could achieve whatever little I could achieve because there was no social media at that time.”
He continued:
“When I see this new generation… I can talk from the sportsmen’s point of view, they go to practice more than thinking about their practice, skills, they want to put everything on Instagram and social media and after putting on Twitter and Instagram, they will see how many followers and comments and all that.”
The 41-year-old wants youngsters to stay away from social media because it can affect their game. He said:
“This is not how you live your life, this is not the right way to live your life. Trust me, whatever is said good, bad on social media is not correct and that is people can talk great things about me and I don’t take it seriously. People can talk sh*t about me and I don’t take that either.”
“The biggest reason for getting depressed is social media” – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further added that excessive use of social media can lead to depression. He said that people shouldn’t even post pictures from their holidays but enjoy quality time with loved ones during the break.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“So, for me, I think social media, you can have fun on it in a way but don’t take it too hard because you know what? The biggest reason for getting depressed is social media."
He added:
"Trust me, good, bad or ugly said on social media is not true. You go for a holiday, enjoy the holiday, don’t think about putting the pictures on Instagram. You miss the moment. I feel that’s the right message.”
Last year, Gambhir was promoted to the role of “global mentor” for the Super Giants team’s cricketing operations. He mentors the SA20 franchise Durban's Super Giants and IPL’s Lucknow Super Giants.
