India lost its first two matches in the ICC men's T20 world cup. First, the squad was brutally defeated by arch-rival Pakistan and on Sunday had another humiliating eight-wicket loss to New Zealand. The two matches enraged Indian fans expecting the team to bring the trophy home. The one after another defeat gave haters “mauka” to troll the players- first Mohammed Shami, now Virat Kohli. The hate has been built up to an extent that some ended up issuing rape threats to Virat Kohli’s 10-month-old daughter Vamika.
After India vs Pakistan at ICC T20 World Cup, Shami- the only Muslim player in team was abused on social media. After this, captain Virat Kohli defended his teammate and slammed the trolls
calling them "spineless" and "pathetic."
Now, Kohli has become the target of hate and abuse from Indian extremists, who have gone as far as issuing rape threats on his daughter and allegedly sharing images of the 10-month-old online.
Following the gruesome act by some people on social media, millions of people stood by Virat Kohli demanding action against the accused. From top media persons to even Pakistan cricketers
condemned the abuse the player and his family is receiving.
Andre Borges, a former DNA pop culture editor, tweeted, "Kohli and Anushka's 10-month-old daughter is receiving rape threats because he decided to stand by his Muslim teammate,
call out bigotry, and say religious discrimination is wrong."
While NDTV and Gulf News columnist Swati Chaturvedi stated her wish to "puke" after learning of the disgusting threats made against a child after her father's stand against
"bigotry" and support for his teammate. "These bigots belong in jail," she said.
Mohammad Amir, a Pakistani pacer, backed Kohli and called India the "best team." Former Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq also criticized the act.
On his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq stated that he was upset by the individuals who targeted Kohli's 10-month-old daughter, since they need to understand that it is just a sport and
that, despite playing for different countries, we all belong to the same community.
He went on to say that while everyone has the right to question Kohli's performance or leadership abilities, pulling one's family into it is completely unjustified.
Talking about hate targeted at Shami, Inzamam further said that winning and losing are part of any sport, and supporters should not lose their cool over it, especially by pulling a player's family or religion into it.