India captain Virat Kohli has hit out at trolls who abused Mohammad Shami, targeting his religious background and questioning his loyalty to the country after defeat against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
Virat said targeting someone for their religion is the “most pathetic thing” to do as a human being.
Virat Kohli, who had labelled online trolls as “spineless”, said lack of understanding of Mohammed Shami’s passion for the country is sad to see and that he has no time for such people in his life.
The India captain said the team stands by their senior fast bowler and back him “200 per cent”.
“To me attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing a human being can do. Everyone has the right to voice their opinion, but I personally have never even thought of discriminating against someone over their religion,” Virat Kohli said on the eve of India’s Super 12 match against New Zealand in Dubai.
“People take out their frustrations because they have no understanding of the fact that Mohammed Shami has won India a number of matches. If people can overlook that and his passion for the country. Honestly, I don’t want to waste even one minute of my life on them. We stand by him fully, back him 200 percent.
“Our brotherhood can’t be shaken,” he added.
Virat Kohli’s comments came days after Mohammed Shami was singled out and targetedafter he had an off day in India’s 10-wicket loss to Pakistan. Shami’s Instagram feed was filled with vile comments and a few trolls even labeled him a traitor.
Shami, who has been an integral part of India’s fast-bowling renaissance in the recent past, gave away 43 runs in just 3.5 overs as Pakistan gunned down a 152-run target in just 17.5 overs to bring up their first-ever World Cup win over India after 12 attempts.
However, fans bounced back to shower love on the India pacer. Former cricketers and Shami’s teammates backed the senior fast bowler, condemning the online abuse after India’s Super 12 match against their arch-rivals.