In the fast-moving world of social media, even seasoned politicians can stumble — and that’s exactly what happened with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor during India’s second ODI against Australia. In an attempt to criticise the Indian team’s Playing XI and the exclusion of spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Tharoor posted a comment on X (formerly Twitter) that quickly turned into a viral blunder.

Tharoor lashed out at the selectors for dropping Kuldeep, calling it a “ridiculous decision,” but his post revealed a major factual error — he had mistaken Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett for a spinner.

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The post read: “So Xavier Bartlett took just four balls to show the Indian selectors the idiocy of their decision to leave out the most potent match-winner in their squad, @imkuldeep18, in favour of a journeyman pacer like Rana. It was wrong to omit Kuldeep in England & it is absurd not to pick him in Adelaide. Awful!”

So Xavier Bartlett took just four balls to show the Indian selectors the idiocy of their decision to leave out the most potent match-winner in their squad, @imkuldeep18, in favour of a journeyman pacer like Rana. It was wrong to omit Kuldeep in England & it is absurd not to pick…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 23, 2025

Xavier barlett is a fast bowler
Kuldeep is a chinaman

What did you have for drinks last night Shashi the hangover seems to have kicked in.

— Rohit Mundra (@RohitMu91645791) October 23, 2025

Australia in fact is also playing four pace bowlers.

India is doing the same.

Xavier Bartlett is not a spinner. Kuldeep Yadav is, and Axar Patel is already in the squad as a spinner who will bowl 10 overs along side Washington Sundar.

Both the spinners are accomplished batsmen…

— Amrit Pradhan (@amritpradhan63) October 23, 2025

Bartlett isn’t a spinner . That’s Xavier Doherty

— Ashutosh Joshi (@JoshiAsh) October 23, 2025

While Shashi Tharoor’s intent was to defend Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion, the irony of confusing a fast bowler for a spinner didn’t go unnoticed. His comment came moments after Bartlett had dismissed both Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in the same over, rattling India’s top order. Tharoor used Bartlett’s success as an example to justify his point about spin selection — only to discover that Bartlett is, in fact, a pace bowler known for his seam movement, not turn.

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Social media users were quick to call out the error, flooding the post with memes and sarcastic replies. Many pointed out that while Tharoor’s vocabulary is unmatched, his cricket analysis might need some polishing. Within hours, the post went viral — not for its insight, but for the humorous mix-up that left fans amused and the politician slightly red-faced.