Indian pacer Mohammad Shami stole the show with his seven-wicket haul against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The cricketer has become the centre of trolling for his religion or whenever India loses a match. Intelligence sources told News18 that hate groups instigated by Pakistan’s cyber unit, monitored by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and Pakistan-based profiles are behind the massive trolling that takes place on social media to create a communal divide in sports.
In yesterday’s match, Shami was trolled for some time after he dropped New Zealand captain Kane Williamson’s catch. But Shami came back strong after he dismissed Williamson to break the 181-run partnership for the third wicket between the captain and Daryl Mitchell. Shami later said he felt “terrible” after dropping Williamson’s catch.
Trolls usually pick on any activity or gesture of a sportsperson and start the hate activity on social media. For instance, in 2021, Shami was targeted by social media trolls over his religion after India lost to Pakistan in World T20.
In the ongoing World Cup, Shami’s religion was spoken about by Pakistan-based trolls even after India won against Sri Lanka. Shami picked up a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, after which he was slammed by Pakistani fans for “aborting Sajdah” as he sat on the ground in that position while celebrating a wicket. Indian fans, however, supported Shami on X, formerly Twitter, and hit back at Pakistanis for dragging the pacer’s religion into sports.
According to Indian intelligence sources, Pakistan’s “frustration” has been visible for quite some time now on many counts, with the recent one in cricket matches. The motive is to break the morale of Indian cricketers by invoking religion and using it to disturb harmony and sportsmanship. Sources pointed out that some Indian Muslim groups are also seen targeting Shami for his religion.
The Indian political leadership, however, acknowledged the “great work done” by the Indian team. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Shami for his performance and sent a note on social media: “Today’s Semi Final has been even more special thanks to stellar individual performances too. The bowling by @MdShami11 in this game and also through the World Cup will be cherished by cricket lovers for generations to come. Well played Shami!”
Recently, a statement by former Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq by mentioning actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s name while slamming the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) drew the ire of many. Though the cricketer apologised but he was criticised for making an inappropriate joke on the actress. Razzaq hit out at PCB and said during a press conference: “Here, I am referring to their (PCB’s) intention. While I was playing, I was aware of my captain Younis Khan’s good intentions. That gave me strength and confidence, and with Allah’s help, I was able to perform well for Pakistani cricket.” He added, “We don’t really intend to improve and enhance the players, in my opinion. That will never happen if you believe that I will marry Aishwarya (Rai) to have a good-natured and moral child. Therefore, you must first amend your intentions.”
Social media users and former cricketers, including many from Pakistan, slammed the retired all-rounder and asked him to apologise for his bizarre comment.
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