If you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, chances are you’ve held one of those neon green tennis balls in your hand…the kind we bought from the local market, usually on the way home from school or right before a Sunday gully match. That ball wasn’t just a piece of sports equipment. It was a childhood treasure. And guess what? It used to cost just Rs 20 or Rs 25.
Fast forward to today, and someone just bought that same tennis ball for Rs 120. A recent post on X by a guy named Aaraynsh sparked a mini meltdown among 90s kids, after he shared a picture of himself holding a tennis ball with a caption about the shocking price tag.
Bought this for ₹120. Inflation is real, guys! pic.twitter.com/E62ZBj6jCd
— Aaraynsh (@aaraynsh) April 15, 2025
As soon as the post went up, social media exploded with nostalgia. Some recalled how they’d play with plastic balls instead because even Rs 25 felt like a luxury. Others pointed out that the ball wasn’t even from a fancy brand like Cosco, just a regular one that now costs nearly five times what it used to.
₹50 ki milti thi 🥺
— Utkarsh Neil (@iUtkarshNeil) April 15, 2025
Baapre… 🫢🥹 Mai toh 50 ki laata tha bachpan mai.
— Anshu (@AnshuTechblog) April 15, 2025
Bhai mai 30 mein leti thi
— Radhika Bajaj (@radhika_bajaj) April 15, 2025
Exactly I was shocked when I bought badminton shuttle for ₹90.
— J (@Goldfi5hJ) April 15, 2025
₹22 ki maine li thi cosco ki for cricket back in 2003-04
— Vikas Raj Yadav ˎˊ˗ (@Vraj247) April 16, 2025
Apne time par toh 20 ki milti thi!!!
— Sahil Pahwa (@Sahilpahwa09) April 15, 2025
WTF? 😮
Use to buy them for 25-30. Red Khanna balls were the most expensive, they used to cost around 40-45. I wonder how much they cost now or if they even exist today.— Sanghapriyo (@SanghapriyoM) April 15, 2025
What was once an easily affordable slice of childhood joy has now become another reminder of just how much things have changed!