‘You win as one, go down as all’: Ravi Shastri’s strong words on online abuse hurled at Shami after Pakistan loss

Ravi Shastri lauded Virat Kohli for standing up for Mohammed Shami during a press conference after the match.

Published on: Nov 15, 2021, 15:22:56 IST

By hindustantimes.com

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Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri criticised the online abuse of bowler Mohammed Shami, which came after India's 10-wicket defeat against arch rivals Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Shami was subjected to online abuses after the Team India seamer finished the contest conceding 43 runs before he could complete his four-over quota.

India's Mohammed Shami reacts after Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan hit consecutive boundaries in his last over of the match during the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai (AP)

Since the incident, the entire Indian cricket fraternity rallied behind the seamer and former head coach Shastri insisted that the incident was ‘ridiculous’, adding that Shami has been ‘fabulous’ for India over the past five years.

"I don't read (the news). I heard about it later and that was ridiculous. Mohammed Shami, for me, is a champion. He is one of the real integral parts of the team for the last five years. In all our wins overseas or in India, Shami, Ishant (Sharma), Jasprit (Bumrah) and Umesh (Yadav) have been absolutely fabulous,” said Ravi Shastri on NDTV.

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"To single out someone from the game is ridiculous. It’s like someone saying that Pakistan lost the game because someone dropped a catch (in the semi-final against Australia). It's ridiculous. It's a team game, it happens.”

Shastri also lauded Virat Kohli for standing up for Shami during a press conference after the match. Kohli, who led the Indian T20I team for the final time, had spoken in length about the vile abuse towards the player while insisting that the team stood “200 per cent” behind Shami.

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"One message that we had in our team right from the beginning - you win as one and you go down as all. There is no finger-pointing in this team,” Shastri said.

"Virat was brilliant in the press conference where he stood up for Shami. Hats off to him.”

Shastri added that Kohli had not discussed addressing the incident with him before the press conference.

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