Top 5 player comments which were blown out of proportion

Often in the heat of things, players make comments which are not justified, but by no means are they offensive. However, for others all around, these comments only provide a catalyst to spice up things, and blow things out of proportion.

The players themselves never mean the things they say, but undue controversy is created around their statements. In order to curb the so-called 'sensational' statements made by the players, every team now has a designated media manager, but in spite of this, few comments have been made, which are not entirely justified.

Here, we take a look at some of these comments made by the players, comments which were only exaggerated by everyone else.

#1 Shahid Afridi

"We have been loved by Indian crowds more than crowds back home in Pakistan", Shahid Afridi had said on the eve of the World T20 clash against arch-rivals India in 2016.

Afridi who is no stranger to controversies stirred a hornet's nest and was lambasted on social media as well on various media platforms back home in Pakistan for this statement. However, many believed that the former skipper's comments were misunderstood and the backlash he received was certainly not in good spirits.

The criticism was not only verbal, but the flamboyant all-rounder was also served a legal notice for this statement. The lawyer who slapped the notice argued that Afridi had hurt national sentiments by his rather erratic comments.

An instance when comments of players were certainly not taken well by the fans.

#2 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has earned the tag of being a 'big show', which is an indication of his maverick batting abilities. However, the combative all-rounder is not one to mince his words and loves to take a dig at the opposition.

His comments on Indian batsmen after the 3rd ODI between India and Australia ruffled many feathers. Maxwell called the Indian batsmen milestone driven, who look to reach personal milestone more than contributing to the team's cause.

"They were, probably, just making sure they got to a milestone, which is probably a selfish one"' Maxwell pointed out.

However, the Victorian later clarified his comments and put out a tweet stating that his comments were taken out of context. He also lauded the innings of Virat Kohli.

"I don't think anyone in the world is hitting the ball better than Virat at the moment", Maxwell spelt out later.

#3 Chris Gayle

The Jamaican marauder is no stranger to controversies, and both his on field and off field activities are under constant scrutiny. However, his comments made at a journalist, during a Big Bash game was subject to considerable criticism and the big-hitting batsman was also fined AU$10,000 (£4,900) by the Melbourne Renegades.

'I wanted to see your eyes for the first time, hopefully, we can win this game and then we can have a drink after as well,' he said, during his post innings interview. He then went on to add: 'Don't blush, baby.'

Many different cricketers and broadcasters lambasted the West Indian for being sexist and there were clarion calls to ban him altogether.

However, Gayle later apologised but said his comments were nothing more than a simple joke, and never intended to be disrespectful in any which way.

Not one to duck under criticism, Gayle replied in his own way when he named his baby daughter "Blush", which can be attributed to the very same controversy.

#4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

"During the first edition, whenever I would go out biking in Chennai at night... wherever I would stop in the red light areas, they used to always come up to me and speak to me in Tamil. They really love me here."

If ever there was an embarrassing slip of the tongue, this would be one of the major ones. Dhoni, who is normally cool and composed during any press conferences made a rather disconcerting remark, during an IPL match.

And then Indian fans being what they are, took the statement and dragged it on for eternity and several different theories were afloat.

#5 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag wielded willow without a care in the world. Much along the same lines, the flamboyant batsman has never pretended to sound correct and speaks his mind.

One of many such comments came during India's 2012 tour to Australia. MS Dhoni, the Indian captain was a vocal advocate of the rotation policy, and he believed that the senior players in the team which included Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were not very swift fielders and thus could not be included in the playing XI together.

Sehwag, who stepped in as a captain for one of the matched during the tri-series, took a blinder of a catch in the field. Responding to questions after the match, Sehwag said, "Have you seen my catch, we have been fielding the same way for the last 10 years."

This statement sparked off a rumour about a speculated rift in the team.