'..My Phone Wasn't In My Possession': Woman Cricketer Pooja Vastrakar Apologises For 'Vasooli Titans' Insta Post Mocking PM Modi, Amit Shah

Pooja Vastrakar, one of the most promising players in the women's Indian cricket team, shared a post on Instagram titled 'Vasooli Titans,' mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and other BJP leaders on Friday. However, she deleted the post soon after it began gaining traction on social media.

However, to her worst nightmare, screenshots of the post are circulating on various social media platforms.

What is interesting is the timing and nature of the post as it comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's statements in court, where he alleged BJP's involvement in an extortion racket through electoral bonds to evade scrutiny by central agencies.

Netizens quicky reacted to the screenshots, with some interpreting the post as supportive of the Congress, while others warned the cricketer that her career might suffer repercussions for sharing such content.

One X user, @troller_Adi18, said "Ye to  Congress ka post hai."

"Pagal Aurat delete kar jaldi Career khatam ho jayega," sad another user @Raviteja1234_

Some users even speculated that Pooja might claim her account was hacked and that she did not post this, in a manner reminiscent of how a few Congress leaders distanced themselves from controversy that erupted after they allegedly made derogatory remarks about Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who got a ticket from BJP to contest Lok Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi.

"Pooja: Mere account ka access kai logo ke paas hai, jo log mujhe jaante wo samjhte hain ki main aisi post kar hi nahin sakti," said @Mogemmbo. 

Hours after the controversial post, Pooja apologised and clarified that her phone was not in her possession at the time of the post and indicated that someone else might have done it.

In a post on Instagram, the woman cricketer said, "Hi,  It has come to my attention that a highly objectionable image was posted from my Instagram account. This happened at a time that my phone was not in my possession. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Honorable Prime Minister and sincerely apologise for the hurt this has caused."

The image posted by Pooja was originally made by Haryana Congress which the party put up on their official Instagram handle on March 28.

Pooja Vastrakar is an Indian cricketer who currently plays for Madhya Pradesh and India. An all-rounder, Pooja plays as a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batter. She made her international debut for India in 2018, against South Africa.