It was no match. Indians just could not compete well, they lost to Pakistan the very worst possible way. None of the World cup matches were this bad. The body language of the Pakistanis was positive from the very beginning. But Kohli’s boys are known to pull off magic at the end.
Unfortunately it was a dismal end. Losing with their all wickets intact was a blow to the esteem of all. To cheer up, pull up the socks was not easy. All felt the hurt. But most of all, Shami. The trolling was vicious. Because he happens to be a Muslim, he was picked mercilessly.
Finally, Kohli could not take it. He stood up for his team mate. On Saturday before they were to play with New Zealand, he spoke to the press. Former cricketers sought to defend him by excusing a rare ‘Off day’, Kohli took a stand strongly.
“The Captain’s Knock” as the editorial in the Indian Express read. “To me, attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing that a human being can do.Everybody has the right to voice their opinion over what they feel about a certain situation, but I personally have never ever even thought of discriminating (against) anyone over their religion. That is a very sacred & personal thing to every human being.People take out their frustrations because they obviously have no understanding of what we do as individuals.”
“They have no understanding of what we put in on the field.They have no understanding of the fact that someone like Shami has won India a number of matches in the last few years & he has been our primary bowler with Jasprit Bumrah, when it comes to making an impact in games. If people can overlook that & his passion for his country, honestly, I don’t even want to waste one minute of my life to give any attention to those people, & neither does Shami & neither does anyone in the team. We stand by him fully. We are backing him 200%, & all those who attacked him can come with more force if they want to. Our brotherhood, our friendship within the team, nothing can be shaken.”
Do we need more? Well said, Captain!
Asian Entertainment 