'Don’t care what they have to say' - Sunil Gavaskar on 'faceless trolls' targeting Mohammed Shami

Former India skipper and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar lambasted faceless trolls who targeted pacer Mohammed Shami after India’s 10-wicket loss against Pakistan on October 24. Shami was targeted on various social media platforms, chiefly Instagram, where many left vile comments, targeting him over his faith and religious beliefs.

The pacer endured a forgettable outing on a day when nothing went India’s way as Pakistan handed them a defeat for the first time in the World Cups. Shami ended up as the most expensive bowler on the night and was at the receiving end of the social media outrage.

“Those who are making such remarks, do they matter? I don’t think these faceless trolls matter. We don’t care what they have to say, because they have no identity,” said Sunil Gavaskar on India Today.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli, on the eve of India’s clash with New Zealand, came out in support of Shami and brushed aside the “spineless” abusers that as per him hold no value for the players.

“Attacking someone over their religion is the most, I would say, pathetic thing that a human being can do,” Kohli said. “Everyone has the right to voice their opinion but I personally have never even thought of discriminating someone over their religion. This is literally the lowest potential as a human being one can operate at.”

“There’s a reason we are playing on the field and not those spineless people. Many people hide their identity in social media then try to troll the players and it is the lowest point in their life – all dramas outside due to the lack of self-confidence of them, we know how to back the players, there is no value from the outside voice.”

“That [religious beliefs] is a very sacred and a personal thing to every human being and that should be left there. People take out their frustrations because they obviously have no understanding of what we do as individuals. They have no understanding of how much effort we put on the field,” he added.

Lauding Kohli for coming forward and taking the much-needed stance, Gavaskar said: “Good to see the way Virat Kohli and other team members have rallied behind Mohammad Shami. It is a great sign. Backing each other is the key. This is what we have seen over the last week.”