Jasprit Bumrah's wife slams trolls targeting their infant son

Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's wife, Sanjana Ganesan, has strongly condemned the online trolling directed at their infant son, Angad.

The incident unfolded after a recent IPL match in which the Mumbai Indians defeated the Lucknow Super Giants. While the game created a buzz on the field, social media witnessed a disturbing trend.

Angad was seen on camera with a neutral facial expression, which led to a flood of memes online mocking his demeanour, suggesting that he doesn't smile even in the happiest of moments.

Some users went as far as speculating about the toddler's mental health, upsetting his mother deeply.

In response, Sanjana took to Instagram and shared a bold, heartfelt message. She expressed disappointment over people making assumptions about a child based on just a few seconds of footage.

She wrote,  "Our son is NOT a topic for your entertainment. Jasprit and I do everything in our power to keep Angad away from social media because the Internet is a despicable, vile place to be, and I completely understand the implications of bringing a child to a cricket stadium filled with cameras, but please understand that Angad, and I were there to support Jasprit and nothing else."

"We have no interest in our son being viral Internet content or national news, with unnecessarily opinionated keyboard warriors deciding who Angad is, what his problem is, what his personality is, from 3 seconds of footage," she added.

She further wrote, "He is one and a half years old. Throwing around words like trauma and depression in reference to a baby says so much about who we're becoming as a community, and it's honestly really sad."

She also criticised those who irresponsibly used terms like "depression patient" to describe their 18-month-old son, saying, "Using such serious mental health terms for a baby reveals how far we've fallen as a society".

Sanjana concluded her statement with a firm message: "You know NOTHING about our son, nothing about our lives, and I request you to keep your opinions online true to that. A little honesty and a little kindness go a long way in today's world."

Jasprit Bumrah and Sanjana Ganesan got married in March 2021, and their son Angad was born in September 2023. The couple is well-loved by cricket fans in India. The trolling was especially hurtful given that Angad is just 18 months old, making the online mockery even more disturbing for the parents.

Despite the off-field emotional turmoil, Bumrah delivered a stellar performance on the field. In Sunday's crucial match, he took four wickets against Lucknow, leading the Mumbai Indians to a commanding 54-run victory. With this performance, he became the franchise's leading wicket-taker, having played 139 matches for them so far.