Sometimes I think the world is going mad. After our admittedly humiliating loss in the ICC T20 World Cup India-Pakistan match, cricket fans have been lashing out; blaming everything and everyone they can. Some chose to virulently attack the one Muslim member of our national team – Mohammad Shami, while others chose to go after Anushka Sharma, wife of the team captain Virat Kohli. Apparently, the team cannot have a bad day and lose – especially cannot to lose to Pakistan.
Apparently fasting or not fasting by the wife of a team member had an impact on the match. Perhaps this is meant as a joke –– however these days we can never be sure.
So the job of the skipper is ‘get a cup’ and the job of a woman is ‘take care of your husband’ according to this tweet.
Kohli was the only Indian player to get a half century. So if we are blaming the wife; here she should actually be getting all the credit.
Apparently, the team cannot have what the commentators call a ‘bad day at the office’. We have to blame someone or several someones.
The BCCI Secretary and Bollywood’s Mr. Patriotic? Because why not.
In a truly horrifying display of communal hate, the Indian team’s only Muslim member was attacked on social media – basically for being Muslim. Many more posted screenshots such as these as well.
While some were using the worst kind of abusive language for Mohammad Shami, others were expressing support for him.
They pointed out Shami’s stellar performance in a previous World Cup match against Pakistan.
Some feel that more than ever it is Muslims who are called upon to prove their patriotism for the country.
This is a player who has consistently given match-winning performances. Players and teams came out in support.
Former players such as Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, as well as current players such as Yuzvendra Chahal expressed love and support.
Manjul’s cartoon puts our current climate of hate and polarisation into sharp focus. It seems as though we are no longer able to take anything at face value – we seem anxious to impugn motives based not on actions but on a person's identity, beliefs and ideologies.
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