"Is it to say that Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar were more committed because they belong to a certain religion?" - Gautam Gambhir slams Mohammad Shami's trollers

Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday lashed out at trollers for questioning the integrity of Indian pacer Mohammad Shami after the team's defeat to Pakistan on Sunday.

Virat Kohli's men couldn't defend 152 in Dubai as Pakistan's openers chased it down in 17.5 overs, grabbing two crucial points in the T20 World Cup. Criticism of the players is not new, but Mohammad Shami bore the brunt of the abuse and racial slurs on this occasion even though no Indian bowler took a wicket.

Writing in his column for The Times of India, Gautam Gambhir bluntly declared the questions about Mohammad Shami's integrity towards India and the team as "ridiculous". He sounded a worried note about the country's future if some players were considered more 'committed' than others because of their religion.

He wrote:

"...India lose to Pakistan on Sunday. By Monday/Tuesday Mohammad Shami's integrity towards his team and country was being questioned. How ridiculous can that be? Is it to say that Jasprit Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar Kumar were more committed because they belong to a certain religion? Where are we heading?"

Gautam Gambhir then recalled the time he led Mohammad Shami at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), saying the pacer is a hard-working and committed man who just had an "off-day". He also questioned why fans can't simply praise Pakistan or any other opponent and move on.

Gautam Gambhir further wrote:

"I know Shami very well as I have led him in KKR. He is hard-working, committed fast bowler who just had an off day. Unfortunately for him, it happened against Pakistan. But that can happen to anyone. Why can't we just say, "well done Pakistan" and leave it at that?"

Seeing the heckling, support poured in for Mohammad Shami through all quarters of the cricket fraternity. The pacer is likely to return to action when India take on New Zealand on Sunday, October 31. While the BCCI has not released an official statement on the issue, a comment from Kohli is expected before the match.

The detailed T20 World Cup fixtures are available here.

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"Quinton De Kock refusing to knee down for the Back Lives Matter campaign was a shame" - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir also weighed in on the controversy that popped up after South Africa's Quinton de Kock refused to take a knee in support of the fight against racism ahead of the team's match against West Indies.

The Indian former opener called it a 'shame' and acknowledged that clarity on the matter is crucial.

Gautam Gambhir wrote:

"I am glad to note that cricketing fraternity stood up for Shami and there was support from all corners. As this episode was dying down another one cropped up. Quinton De Kock refusing to knee down for the "Black Lives Matter" campaign was a shame. I am not sure what are his reasons to abstain but the matter demands more clarity. Anything left to speculate in a shoot-happy world of social media is going to complicate matters even more. And remember the team is South Africa, a nation which has had its share of racism inflicted episodes."

South Africa won against the Windies by eight wickets and will now lock horns with Sri Lanka on Saturday.