Dinesh Karthik slammed for reaction to Harry Brook's double hundred; Fans bring up 'negative' reaction to Shubman Gill's 200 originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Dinesh Karthik faced fan backlash for praising Harry Brook’s 202 after questioning Shubman Gill’s 223.
- Fans accuse Karthik of double standards, with some alleging a rivalry from KKR days.
- Karthik had also praised Gill’s unbeaten 223 on Cricbuzz, calling the innings phenomenal.
Praising Harry Brook but nitpicking Shubman Gill? Fans slam Dinesh Karthik for 'double standards' over 200s
Dinesh Karthik has landed in the middle of a social media storm after fans compared his excited reaction to Harry Brook’s double hundred with a more questioning post during Shubman Gill’s record chase against West Indies.
The former India wicketkeeper-batter is now being accused of double standards, even though he had also spoken warmly about Gill in a separate podcast in the aftermath of that ODI in Guwahati.
Brook smashed 202 off 116 balls against Sri Lanka in the tri-series match in Rawalpindi, the fastest double century in ODI history and the first by an Englishman. Karthik reportedly responded with a post full of astonished emojis that named Brook in capital letters, in a message that also mentioned India’s win in the first T20I in New Zealand.
Supporters were quick to dig up an older post from Karthik that was written while India were chasing 406 in the second ODI in Guwahati. In it, he asked whether the match was good to watch, adding that India were around 250 without loss after 25 overs, along with shocked emojis.
A fan account shared the two posts side by side and accused Karthik of jealousy and selfishness, claiming this has been the case since his days at Kolkata Knight Riders.
@screwgauge77 wrote: "This is what Dinesh Karthik tweeted when shubman gill Scored double century in 400 chase. But look at his tweet for brook who scored 200 on Pindi highway against Sri Lanka. Jealousy and selfishness has been insane from Dinesh Karthik since KKR days."
This is what Dinesh Karthik tweeted when shubman gill Scored double century in 400 chase But look at his tweet for brook who scored 200 on Pindi highway against Sri Lanka Jealousy and selfishness has been insane from Dinesh Karthik since KKR days https://t.co/uXQb73B3VR
— 𝘿𝙖𝙠𝙨𝙝 (@screwgauge77) October 22, 2026
Fans react: ‘Double standard’ and ‘lobby system’ claims against Karthik
The responses came in quickly, and most were unfriendly. One user called the pundits a group of hypocrites who like to side with white-ball opponents from abroad.
@paradigmshhiftt wrote: “Our experts are bunch of hypocrites love to ride whites”
@screwgauge77 Our experts are bunch of hypocrites love to ride whites
— 🎳 (@paradigmshhiftt) October 22, 2026
Another supporter went further and linked the reaction to an earlier debate on Gill’s place in the T20I side.
@Gill_kaizen wrote: “He was one of the people pushing the ‘drop Gill from T20Is’ agenda.. the lobby system in Indian cricket ruined the sport”
@screwgauge77 He was one of the people pushing the "drop Gill from T20Is"agenda.. the lobby system in Indian cricket ruined the sport
— Parth (@Gill_kaizen) October 22, 2026
A third user addressed Karthik directly, and asked him to think about the effect of his posts on Indian players.
@PReddy8999 wrote: “Why spread hate against our own players man..”
@screwgauge77 @DineshKarthik Why spread hate against our own players man..
— Veena (@PReddy8999) October 22, 2026
However, one fan challenged the comparison itself by pointing to the conditions in Rawalpindi.
@Johnbtt4p wrote: “Pindi might be a highway but it sure as hell didn’t have dew and as short as 40-50m boundaries”
Another asked a short and pointed question.
@harrygillyy wrote: “@DineshKarthik why this double standard”
@screwgauge77 @DineshKarthik why this double standard
— Harry Gill (@harrygillyy) October 22, 2026
Dinesh Karthik on Shubman Gill’s 223: ‘A cold-blooded killer'
The criticism overlooks what Karthik said about Gill on the Cricbuzz Talk Show, where he spoke with Ajinkya Rahane after the Guwahati chase. He started with a general point about how strong India’s pool is, which has left Gill without a regular place in the T20I side, and then turned to the innings itself.
Karthik said: “Shubman is someone who is a great example, who is able to play ODI and Test ideally, in other countries they play all formats but India is so strong that he hasn’t found a place in the T20 setup consistently.
"But it is just ethereal in terms of understanding how to chase down an innings, I am sure he learnt from the Master himself, who was there in a small partnership but it is just beautiful to see the Prince go about it in a very confident, classy, literally it was like a cold-blooded killer. Just finishing it with precision, this is a great watch.”
MORE: Fastest 200 in ODI history: Sensational Harry Brook breaks Shubman Gill's record
He then described the knock in more detail, and spoke about the intent Gill showed from the start.
Karthik added: “223 not out is itself quite phenomenal. But to do it, while chasing and with the conviction that he has done it, right from the get go he was very sure, played lovely shots in the powerplay, showed good intent. But the intent never dropped, it just kept almost going up.
"And with Shubman Gill you always knew that talent was there, he had a very good calm head and in terms of pure shot making skills he was right up there and with IPL being such a high pressure tournament and you need to constantly be up with the strike rate and run rate. I think people are just learning to play newer shots, more attacking shots and are becoming more fearless day by day.”
Is the Dinesh Karthik backlash fair?
Social media reduces everything to a comparison, so it is not surprising that two posts placed next to each other look damaging. On the evidence supplied, however, a single “Is this good to watch?” tweet written mid-chase does not prove that Karthik wanted to belittle Gill.
It could just as easily be read as a comment on how one-sided the contest had become, and the emojis suggest awe more than disapproval.
Even so, fans have a point about tone. Karthik’s post about Brook was celebratory and direct, while his earlier message about Gill carried a question mark that many read as sceptical, and perception counts for a lot when the subject is an Indian player. His longer remarks on Cricbuzz were warm and detailed, and any honest summary of the story has to include them.
The claims of jealousy and a KKR-era rivalry are another matter, since no one has presented proof, and they say more about the mood of the fanbase than about Karthik. A broadcaster in his position is free to give opinions, but he should expect his words to be weighed against each other.
The simplest advice for commentators is consistency. If the praise is the same for every batter, nobody can build a story about favourites.
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