Rahul Gandhi's support resurfaces as Mohammad Shami shines in World Cup semifinal victory

Amid the jubilation over India's resounding victory against New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal, Congress leader Srinivas BV brought attention to a pivotal moment from the past when only Rahul Gandhi stood by cricketer Mohammad Shami during a wave of vicious trolling. Recalling the 2021 T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan, Shami faced online abuse targeting his religion. In a tweet that has now gone viral, Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity, stating, "Mohammad #Shami, we are all with you. These people are filled with hate because nobody gives them any love. Forgive them."

 Shami's stellar seven-wicket performance in the recent semifinal match catapulted him into the limelight, prompting a resurgence of Rahul Gandhi's supportive tweet. In 2021, social media trolls had targeted Shami after India's loss to Pakistan. Apart from Rahul Gandhi, politicians including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah condemned the trolling and extended support to the cricketer.

As Shami's historic World Cup achievement garnered praise from various quarters, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged his outstanding contribution, stating, "The bowling by @MdShami11 in this game and also through the World Cup will be cherished by cricket lovers for generations to come."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="hi" dir="ltr">आज से कुछ सालों पहले जब हिन्दू-मुस्लिम की भांग पीकर भक्त Mohd Shami को गालियां दे रहे थे,<br><br>तब Shami के साथ सिर्फ <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RahulGandhi</a> खड़े थे। <a href="https://t.co/3gh7cwf8eB">https://t.co/3gh7cwf8eB</a></p>&mdash; Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) <a href="https://twitter.com/srinivasiyc/status/1724848098848170472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>