Star Sports responds to Rohit Sharma’s ‘breach of privacy’ accusation, denies leaking audio of conversations

The 37-year-old’s comments were following another audio leak during a match in Kolkata where a personal conversation with Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Abhishek Nayar briefly made its way through to social media. The clip was first aired by KKR’s social media handle. But after realising that Rohit was possibly speaking about personal stuff that he wouldn’t want to be made public, the video was hastily deleted.

On Sunday, Rohit launched a scathing attack against Star Sports on social media in a post, stating: “The lives of cricketers have become so intrusive that cameras are now recording every step and conversation we are having in privacy with our friends and colleagues, at training or on match days.

“Despite asking Star Sports to not record my conversation, it was and was also then played on air, which is a breach of privacy. The need to get exclusive content and focused only on views and engagement will one day break the trust between the fans, cricketers and cricket,” Rohit added.

In its attempt to clear the air, Star Sports responded to Rohit’s remark and said the broadcaster did not air the audio of the footage shot with Rohit.

“A clip involving a senior Indian player and his post on social media have gained prominence since yesterday. The clip, taken during a training session on May 16 at Wankhede stadium, for which Star Sports had authorised access, momentarily showed the senior player in conversation with his friends on the sidelines. No audio from this conversation was either recorded or broadcast. The clip, which only showed the senior player requesting for the audio of his conversation to not be recorded, got featured in Star Sports’ live coverage of pre-match preparations and lacked editorial relevance beyond this.

Star Sports has always adhered to the highest standards of professional conduct while broadcasting cricket all over the world. Respect for players’ privacy while bringing fans, moments of intense action and preparations, sits at the core of this ethos, which the broadcaster remains committed to,” the statement read.