Bhogle has come out in defence of Sooryavanshi after a clip made the rounds online, one he says gives a false impression of what transpired. In a post on X this past Tuesday, the old hand at the microphone called the edit “cruel” and pointed out how it warps both the question and the answer.
It all comes down to intent. The audio has been tampered with to make a 15-year-old sound brash, when anyone who has been around him – including Bhogle – will tell you he’s been nothing but polite. You don’t want to let a little bit of editing colour the way people see a young talent before the facts have a chance to set in.
Why he made a point of it
For a 64-year-old like Bhogle, this is about more than his own side of things. He put it in plain terms: the clip is ‘cruel and mischievous’ and the kid hasn’t done anything to deserve it. The subtext was as clear as day – you look out for the young ones first.
He made it known that in his time with Sooryavanshi, courtesy has been the order of the day. It’s a nice way of turning the tables on the story the video was trying to tell and making sure we are held to account for the kind of content we put out there.
The story the clip was trying to tell
Bhogle says the whole point of the edit was to put forward an image of a ‘rude and cocky’ Sooryavanshi. He was firm that the video doesn’t reflect reality; the exchange they show never took place in that form.
In his note, Bhogle laid out a few hard lines:
– You’re seeing a ‘fake dubbed clip’ on social media.
– One that makes Vaibhav come off as rude and cocky.
– But ‘neither was that question asked’ nor did I get any such reply.
Words have a way of carrying weight. By being so specific about the manipulation and the character assassination, he put an end to the idea that this was just some harmless back-and-forth.
Putting the onus on the authorities
Bhogle didn’t just let the internet have its say. He made sure to tag the BCCI and the Rajasthan Royals in his post, a signal that when AI gets involved and starts to cause reputational damage, the formal powers that be should be in on it.
You have to put the franchise and the board in the room because they are the ones who will feel the effects. For an operation that is built on good will and a certain image, a viral lie is no small matter.
A case of mistaken identity for a young star
Sooryavanshi is not your average 15-year-old. He’s the youngest to have won an Orange Cap in the IPL and already being called a sensation. When you have that kind of attention, a false narrative can go a long way and be hard to shake.
So in a way, what Bhogle has done is put things right and offer some cover. He has re-stated the truth and put the young man’s respectful nature back in focus, all while giving the rest of us a heads-up not to be swayed by some synthetic audio.
Then there is the speed of it. Once a video has legs, misinformation is everywhere. Bhogle used X to put a stop to it and put his own spin on the story.
Where do we go from here
With the BCCI and the Royals tagged, the ball is in their court to see if any action is in order. Bhogle isn’t going to rehash the original talk, other than to say the clip is a distortion and not fair on the boy.
The point is made: in a matter of hours, an AI clip can turn a teenager’s public standing on its head. Bhogle has shown how you can use your voice to put a dent in that kind of thing.
And for those of us following along, the lesson is there in black and white. If it seems too much to be true, check it out. Here, the person in the know has already made it right.
