Sri Lanka A cricketer Vishen Halambage’s Instagram account has reportedly been blocked after the young player became the target of online trolls following an on-field altercation involving India A batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Halambage drew widespread attention after Sri Lanka A’s dramatic Super Over victory over India A in the Tri-Nation Series in Dambulla on Monday, with videos of a heated exchange between the two players circulating widely on social media.
Following the incident, large numbers of social media users, particularly from India, flooded Halambage’s Instagram account with abusive comments. Several users also claimed that members of the player’s family were subjected to online harassment.
Such online trolling has become increasingly common in international cricket, with opposition players often facing abuse on social media after incidents involving high-profile Indian cricketers.
By Tuesday, Halambage’s Instagram account was no longer accessible, with reports suggesting the account had been blocked after receiving a large number of complaints and reports. However, neither Instagram nor the player has officially confirmed the reason for the account becoming unavailable.
The incident has once again highlighted the darker side of social media, where young athletes can become targets of online abuse following on-field confrontations. (Newswire)