INDIAN CRICKET

Is the verbal assault on Arshdeep Singh justified?

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Arshdeep Singh has been caught in a wild storm of criticism ever since he dropped a catch versus Pakistan.

India is a cricketing nation. Fans here literally worship cricket and cricketers for that matter. Players are under constant public scrutiny. People have expectations and opinions. But where do we draw the line?

Over the years, Indian players have been subject to intense criticism by the so-called “fans” and “cricket experts“. Whenever the men in blue take the field, there is a huge baggage of expectation, and rightly so. But the problem arises when constructive criticism turns into brutal online trolling. The recent case of pacer Arshdeep Singh raises concern about to what extent is this acceptable. Arshdeep Singh was abused communally online after his dropped catch against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

The evolution of player desecration

The modes of manhandling and exploitation have changed over the years. Before this social media thing took the main spotlight, people used to take to the streets to express their rage. From burning effigies of players to targeting somebody’s house and family, from starting a fire in the stadium to verbally abusing the players on the field, the cricketers have seen it all. The miscreants remain the same. Only the mode of desecration has evolved through these years. The same hate-mongers now hide behind a single click of a keyboard.

Arshdeep may be the latest one to get dragged down into the whirlwind, but he is not the only one. Earlier, Mohammed Shami was racially and communally abused after India lost to Pakistan last year in the T20 World Cup. Virat Kohli’s wife and daughter were targeted by the trolls after his slump in form. Just a few weeks after losing his father, Mohammad Siraj was racially abused during the Australia tour.

Arshdeep firmly holds his guard.

Even after this harrowing fiasco, the 23-year-old is unfazed by the merciless hatred. His father, during an interview, said that Arshdeep is unmoved by the hatred and is confident enough to bounce back. He said,

“I spoke to Arshdeep before boarding the Dubai-Chandigarh flight. His exact words were, ‘I am laughing at all these tweets and messages. I am only going to get positives from it. This incident has only given me more confidence”

Time to take a stand

The trolls and haters hide behind the name tag of “cricket fans” It’s high time the real fans took a stand for the players. Those 11 standing on the field are our own. They go in with the sole aim of making the country proud. The night is the darkest before dawn; likewise, the setbacks are the deepest before the resurgence. Arshdeep Singh is a young 23-year-old with an international experience of just nine matches. The dropped catch is not the end of the road for him. He still has a long way to go. His statement to his father is proof that he is way beyond mature for his age and experience.

Someday, Arsheep will prove to be a match winner for India, and the same haters will hurl praise at him. Till then, the real fans must take a stand against these haters and make the social platforms a better place.

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