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Internet trolls forced Ravichandran Ashwin to publically wish MS Dhoni a happy birthday on Friday. The off-spinner said it can be "catastrophic" to tweet on Dhoni's birthday without wishing him, adding that this is the last time he's doing so.
One of India's greatest captains, Dhoni turns 42 today. Ashwin sent out a couple of tweets for the day earlier: a reaction to Tamim Iqbal reversing his retirement and the other on Ben Stokes' brilliant knock in the Ashes.
Perhaps unhappy by a few fans trolling him for not wishing Dhoni, he clarified that he prefers to wish people directly. He also said the explanation and the 'disclaimer' is for the "gossip mongers" and "story spinners". Ashwin tweeted:
"Tweeting on July 7th without wishing the great man a happy birthday can prove to be catastrophic😂😂Happy birthday Mahi bhai. #disclaimer this will be my last birthday wish on Twitter for anyone. I believe I will stick to wishing them directly or call them. The disclaimer was for all gossip mongers and story spinners."
Former cricketer-turned-pundit Harbhajan Singh was also trolled in comments on his tweets in the morning and eventually wished Dhoni later.
"Very exciting time for Indian cricket" - Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin is currently in the Caribbean, preparing for the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, he talked about India's preparation and the addition of new players in the team.
"We have come early for a 10-day window for our preparation to get rid of the jet lag," he said. "Our coach Rahul Dravid puts great emphasis on preparation. If we can take care of the preparation, the rest will take care of itself."
"There are a lot of new and exciting faces in the Indian camp," the offie added. "We have Mukesh Kumar and I feel Jaydev Unadkat will get a good run in the series. It is a very exciting time for Indian cricket."
The first Test will begin at 7:30 pm IST on July 12.
