Why Virat Kohli backing Mohammed Shami is historic

Indian Cricket Captain, Virat Kohli

“To me, attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing that a human being can do.” This has been the most audacious, and nuanced statement ever made by Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli.

On October 23, India lost its match to Pakistan in the Twenry20 World Cup 2021, and Mohammed Shami was targeted on social media for the loss. On October 30, during a virtual press conference, the greatest ever all-format batsman of this era went out his way in an unprecedented show of solidarity with his only Muslim teammate which has elevated him as a true leader beyond sports.

Kohli may never win as many global trophies as former captain MS Dhoni, he may never be considered tactically as good as Dhoni’s predecessor Sourav Ganguly, he may even never get as much applause as Rahul Dravid for being as informed and erudite — however, with this one statement, Kohli has established a convention which was never expected to be set by a modern Indian cricketer.

“What do they know of cricket that only cricket know?” is inarguably the most profound quote in cricket/sports literature by West Indian political intellectual CLR James, in his seminal book Beyond A Boundary. It is a searching question, and rhetorically is often invoked when anyone tries to understand society through the lens of cricket.

Kohli may have been lacking the eloquence, elegance, and erudition of James, but his avowal is as much in sync with James’ profound work, which is often held as a glorious quest to rid the world of racism, religious bigotry, and class oppression.

Even if belatedly, if Kohli has finally opened his eyes to the world which we are living, and has realised the enormous influence he enjoys as modern youth icon, his stance may just have heralded a new era where celebrities may no longer be afraid to speak their mind against the injustices they see — at least in their fields of work.

Kohli, as a batsman and as a competitor, has often not conducted himself as a gentleman. Also, his conduct over the years has not won him universal ovation. However, the courage and conviction Kohli has shown to back a team member who has been unjustly targeted, may have made some of his worst critics his admirers.

It is unlikely that Kohli is not aware of the backlash his comments could face from sections in society, and the commercial cost he may end up paying for it — yet he chose to go ahead with what he felt was right. This instinctive behaviour is in sync with his personality. That he is a passionate cricketer, and an instinctive individual doesn’t need reiteration here.

A further reading into what Kohli has said is that the political discourse of the times is now affecting the social engagement which is sports. From Sachin Tendulkar to Anil Kumble, former cricket players have come out strongly in support of a team member, however, most of them have failed to acknowledge that Shami was abused not for having a bad day on the field, but for being a Muslim. That the match lost was against Pakistan added vitriol to the attacks.

Cricket captains coming in support of their teammates after a day’s play in the customary post-match conference is now as much part and parcel of the game, and the same trend can be witnessed on social media when either the Indian team or a particular player goes through a tough time. However, what separates Kohli from all the euphemism offered by his ilk was his distinct clarity when he saw that Shami was being targeted for his religion, and not for his bowling.

When the Indian team took the knee in the first game against Pakistan in support of Black Lives Matter movement, eyebrows were raised. Many questioned the silence of Indian cricketers when it comes to taking a stand for marginalised communities who go through the horrors of discrimination, and inequality every day. It is, of course, pointless to expect that a Kohli or any sporting icon can fix the social evils and hate-mongering by their assertions alone. However it is a refreshing start. Ironically, Team India didn’t take the knee in the second match against New Zealand — hopefully we do not get to see such inconsistency from Kohli.

Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga’s act of defiance against the hostilities of Australian umpires, and unruly spectators for his teammate Muthiah Muralidaran in 1996 is a vivid portrayal of a captain going beyond his defined duties. Sri Lanka still remembers and hails Ranatunga as much for the first ever World Cup win as for his unprecedented support to Murali, which eventually made the spin wizard the highest wicket-taker in the history of international cricket.

Shami may not go past Murali in cricketing accomplishments, but Kohli certainly has gone past all the captains (at least Indians) of the game when it comes to standing out for a cause which affects society in general, and India in particular.

Vimal Kumar is a senior sports journalist who has covered multiple cricket world cups and Rio Olympics in the past two decades. Vimal is also the author of Sachin: Cricketer Of The Century and The Cricket Fanatic’s Essential Guide.

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.