Cricketers’ personal lives under scrutiny: Manish Pandey faces divorce speculation

Dubai: The Instagram unfollow button has become the newest harbinger of heartbreak in cricket circles. The latest casualty? Former Indian batter Manish Pandey and his wife, model-turned-actress Ashrita Shetty.

The couple’s social media activity — or lack thereof — has sparked rumours of a separation. Both have unfollowed each other on Instagram, with Ashrita reportedly removing all photos of Pandey months ago. The cricketer recently followed suit, deleting pictures with his wife from his account.

This development mirrors the recent wave of speculation around leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma, who had to break their silence over their rumoured divorce.

Manish Pandey and Ashrita Shetty tied the knot in 2019. Reports suggest Ashrita removed all photos of Pandey from her Instagram account as early as June last year. Pandey has now followed suit, deleting pictures with his wife from his own account.

Pandey last represented India in 2021 during a One-Day International against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Since then, he has fallen out of favour with the national selectors and even lost his place in Karnataka’s domestic squad.

The cricketer, however, is set to return to the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2025 Indian Premier League season. Pandey’s standout performance for the franchise includes a match-winning 94 in the 2014 IPL final against Kings XI Punjab, which secured Kolkata the title.