Dubai: India captain Virat Kohli on Saturday hit back at ‘spineless people’ for attacking his teammate Mohammad Shami’s religion after the team lost to Pakistan in its inaugural T20 World Cup game and said targeting people for their faith is the most ‘pathetic’ thing to do.
Shami, became the main target after the 10-wicket defeat in Dubai. The 31-year-old who endured an bad day with the ball was targeted on Instagram for his religious identity. Shami was the most expensive bowler of the lot for India, giving away 43 runs in 3.5 overs in the match.
“To me attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing that a human being can do. Everyone has the right to voice their opinion and what they feel about certain situations. But I have never ever thought of discriminating anyone over their religion. Religion is a very sacred and a personal thing to every human being and that should be left there,” Kohli said on the eve of India’s crucial match against New Zealand.
For Kohli, social media trolls are nothing but a bunch of “spineless” people, who don’t have the courage to face people in real life.
“There’s a good reason why we [the team] are playing on the field and not a bunch of spineless people on social media who have no courage to speak to any individual in person. They hide and go after people through social media. And that has become a source of entertainment in today’s world, which is so unfortunate and sad because this is literally the lowest level one can operate at.”
Kohli reminded those trolls of the speedster’s passion and dedication to play for the country. He also reckons that the bond among the team members is so strong that such toxicity will not affect team morale.
“They have no understanding of the fact that Shami has won India Numerous number of matches in the last few years and has been our primary bowler along with Jasprit Bumrah when it comes to making an impact in Test cricket. If people can overlook that and his passion for the country, I honestly don’t even want to waste one minute of my life to give any attention to those people; neither does Shami or anyone else in the team. The team stands by him and we are backing him 200 percent.”
“We stand by him those who have attacked him can come with more force if they want to. Our brotherhood and friendship within the team cannot be shaken. I can absolutely guarantee, as the captain, that we have built a culture where these things will not infiltrate into the [team] environment even 0.0001%. How people react on the outside has no value in our group and never focused on it and we will never focus on it.” he further elaborated.
Speaking about the game against New Zealand, Kohli said that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is ‘absolutely’ fine after taking a blow on his shoulder while batting against Pakistan.
Asked whether Shardul Thakur could feature on Sunday, Kohli said, “He (Shardul) is a guy who is definitely in our plans, constantly making a case for himself. He is someone who can bring a lot of value to the team. What role he plays, or where, is something that I can’t talk about right now.” The Indian skipper concluded.
