Often, celebrities on Twitter have found themselves being involved in avoidable controversies. This time India bowler Ravichandran Ashwin locked horns with former South Africa player Herschelle Gibbs on Social Media. Of what could have been a healthy and funny conversation between the two, it was Ashwin who took it in a wrong way and rather replied in a harsh manner. Not only did he reply harshly, but also brought an awkward angle to the entire episode – match fixing!

All was going well on a Monday afternoon when R Ashwin promoted a footwear brand on his Twitter handle. Ashwin’s tweet read:

We all know how ‘swift’ and ‘agile’ R Ashwin is on the field, and how good his fielding skills are. Known to be one of the most agile and best fielders of his time, former Proteas player thought to poke some fun on the tweet. Taking a jibe at Ashwin's tweet, Gibbs replied to the promotional tweet saying, “Hopefully you will be able to run a bit faster now Ashwin.” Read Herschelle Gibbs tweet here:

The joke didn’t go down well with R Ashwin, as he retorted with the match-fixing scandal. The following tweet was later deleted by Ashwin. We bring to you the screenshot of the same:

Knowing that he had touched the wrong chords, Gibbs was quick to reply with another tweet:

Known for his intellect and sharp verbal skills, R Ashwin held on to the matter and clarified that he was joking too. Well, the damage had already been done. Read Ashwin’s tweet here:

However, the cricket fans got something to gossip about on a lousy Monday afternoon. There were hilarious responses to the Ashwin-Gibbs Twitter war. Have a look.

1. Immature reaction?

2. Ashwin completely deserves the backlash!

3. CSK and fixing? Umm...

4. Shut up already!

5. Sportsmanship under scanner

6. Maturity is still a long way to go!

7. Yes, you did it!

India is currently playing against South Africa in the three-match T20 series. Once India’s go-to spin bowling option, Ashwin is on the sidelines recently, given the stupendous display of form by spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Is it the rising frustration or just another fun episode gone wrong? Well, his response was indeed harsh and could have downplayed Gibbs’ retort. Bringing in the match-fixing scandal of yesteryears only shows how Ashwin took the joke in poor taste. In another hot-and-cold relationship in another sport – Badminton, star players Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu smartly avoided such a collision.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 19, 2018 05:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).