A viral artificial intelligence trend sweeping social media has given cricket fans a glimpse of what some of India's biggest stars might have looked like had they played the game in the 1980s. AI-generated pictures have transformed the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer into retro versions of themselves, complete with vintage hairstyles, colourful outfits and classic 1980s settings.

Cricketers embrace the retro trend

The craze has spread rapidly across the cricket world, with several players and franchises joining in and sharing their own 1980s avatars. Yuzvendra Chahal kept his caption short and simple with 'Retro mode: ON', while Shikhar Dhawan embraced the throwback theme, writing, 'The 80s called. We picked up.' Irfan Pathan also joined the fun, posting, 'Trend rukni Nahi chahiye. Let's go back to 80s.'

IPL teams join the 1980s craze

The trend has caught the attention of IPL franchises, with several teams creating 1980s versions of their players. Mumbai Indians were among the teams to take part, reimagining Rohit Sharma sitting on a vintage chair in a scene inspired by retro Bollywood, while Jasprit Bumrah was shown enjoying tea at an old-style Irani cafe.

Rajasthan Royals also shared several retro images of their players, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, captain Riyan Parag and young star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi among those given 1980s makeovers. Kolkata Knight Riders joined in with images of players such as Tim Seifert and Angkrish Raghuvanshi placed in iconic Kolkata locations, including College Street and Park Street.

Punjab Kings gave their players vintage makeovers, with captain Shreyas Iyer and Yuzvendra Chahal among those featured, while head coach Ricky Ponting was also given a 1980s look, taking him back to a time before he made his cricket debut. Gujarat Titans were among the other franchises to embrace the trend, focusing on captain and opener Shubman Gill, who was shown in different retro settings alongside his teammates.

Nasser Hussain's hilarious reaction

The trend has not been limited to Indian cricketers. Former England pacer Stuart Broad also joined the viral craze, creating AI-generated 1980s versions of some of his former England teammates, including Nasser Hussain and Eoin Morgan. Hussain gave humorous descriptions of each AI-generated version, leaving his fellow commentators in laughter.