Amid the growing protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party over Education Pradhan’s resignation, netizens have ‘sarcastically’ called for similar treatment with Indian cricket head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Protests continue to be held at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and in Mumbai, where demonstrators raised slogans and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the issue. Given the widespread nature of the protest and with the Indian government also relenting into holding talks, Indian cricket fans have another request: the resignation of Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar.
The trend has been growing online with the two former Indian cricketers unpopular among the fanbase. That sentiment has only grown with their repeated ‘mistreatment’ of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among others. India have also suffered humiliating bilateral series defeats, home and away, forcing the netizens to call for a change.
While the online campaign is largely being viewed as a sarcastic expression of fan frustration rather than a formal demand, it highlights the increasing scrutiny faced by India’s cricket administrators and coaching staff. Neither Gambhir, Agarkar, nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has responded to the social media trend.
Several prominent figures from Indian cricket, including Shubman Gill, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Sanjay Manjrekar, have also weighed in on the student protests, adding to the growing public discussion around the issue. Their comments have drawn attention as players and former cricketers joined the conversation beyond the boundaries of the sport.