Chasing 151 runs to win, Pakistan achieved the target without losing a wicket and 13 balls to spare. This was the heaviest defeat for India at the hands of their arch-rival in a World Cup match.
Shami, who was bowling the 18th over of the match, conceded 17 runs in five balls. This did not go down well with the Hindutva bigots, who took to Instagram to question the Indian player’s integrity due to his Muslim identity.
One user wrote, “Bloody Pakistani in Team India.” Another wrote, “A Muslim sided with Pakistan. How much money did you receive?” “Sir how much money did you receive to help your community (Muslims) win?” asked another user, identified as Saurabh Pandey.
As expected, social media users exploded in anger at the brazen display of Islamophobia against a Muslim player for his religious identity. Ironically, the development took place on a day the Indian cricket team took the knee in solidarity with the global campaign, BlacksLiveMatter. Many wondered if Skipper Kohli and his teammates would publicly condemn the hounding of Shami just the way England football team reacted after three Black players faced racist attack from bigot fans for missing penalties during this year’s Euro championship.
The development comes amidst growing concern over how the Narcotics Control Bureau has targeted Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, in a drug case. After an independent witness alleged extortion by NCB officials in the case, many felt that Shah Rukh was being targeted for his Muslim identity. The Bollywood superstar’s son has been in jail since the beginning of this month with a lower court denying him bail.
This story first appeared on jantakareporter.com