T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli slams 'spineless people' for abusing Shami, calls it 'lowest level of human form'

Captain Virat Kohli slammed the "spineless people" who attacked India's star pacer Mohammed Shami's religion after Men In Blue's loss to Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which is underway in UAE and Oman.  

India were off to a poor start in the T20 World Cup campaign as they lost their opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24 by 10 wickets as Pak skipper Babar Azam led by example to beat India in a World Cup showdown for the first time ever. 

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Shami, who emerged as the most expensive bowler, leaking 43 runs in 3.5 overs, was subjected to online abuse as soon as the match ended, people on Instagram and Twitter passed derogatory statements about him and his religion. 

Now, the Indian skipper has reacted strongly against the troll and online abuses, as he said, "There is a good reason why we are playing on the field and not some bunch of spineless people on social media that have no courage to actually speak to any individual in person."

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During the press conference on Saturday (October 30), he also said, "This is the lowest level of human form, attacking someone over religion is the most pathetic thing human being can do."

"Never thought of discriminating on basis of religion. That is a very sacred thing. Our brotherhood and friendship can't be shaken... And these things can't infiltrate. I give credit to people who understand us," he added," Kohli added. 

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On the other hand, Shami is "looking forward" to the next game of ICC Men's T20 World Cup against New Zealand, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday (October 31). 

Ahead of the crucial game against Kane Williamson's side, Shami shared an image on his official social media handle, captioning it as: "Back to the grind. Had a productive training session and loved talking to our young talented cricketers. Looking forward to our next game against NZ."