Rishabh Pant deletes controversial advertisement following backlash from Indian musicians

Indian middle-order dasher Rishabh Pant has deleted his controversial Dream 11 ad from all his social media platforms, following backlash from the Indian music industry. Pant was criticized for his portrayal of a failed musician in the ad that was seen frequently on television and across social media platforms.

Rishabh Pant has come under scrutiny after a disappointing run of form for the national team in the shorter formats of the game. An under-par T20 World Cup campaign in Australia, coupled with poor outings against New Zealand in the T20I series, has further compounded the southpaw's misery.

Pant featured in a Dream 11 advertisement as a failed musician, drawing flak from several notable musicians in the country. He was criticized for making fun of the traditional genre of Indian classical music in the ad. The explosive batter has removed the ad from all his social media handles on Monday in the aftermath of the outburst against his portrayal.

Renowned vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty had criticized the Indian cricketer for disrespecting the culture and traditional values via her Twitter account. However, she praised the southpaw for taking down the controversial advertisement and requested the authorities to take further action against the advertisers.

“I want to thank Rishabh Pant for deleting the Ad from his Twitter account n also mention that I personally have nothing against him. I wish him all the best in life n also request him to help us get to the right authorities so that we can take the ad down from other platforms,” Kaushiki wrote in a tweet.

Rishabh Pant did not take part in the recently concluded ODI series between Bangladesh and India after being released from the Indian squad. However, he will be back in action for India's crucial Test series against Bangladesh, commencing later this week.