Here is why there is no Muslim cricketer in Team India, reveals this Indian cricketer
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for three-match T20 International series against New Zealand and Indian squad for two Test matches against Sri Lanka on 23 October. Just a day before the announcement was about to be made of the Indian team, former Gujarat IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt put a controversial post on the micro-blogging site Twitter and raised the question about the absence of a Muslim player in the Indian cricket team.
Former IPS Sanjeev Bhatt posted on his Facebook and Twitter account- 'Is there any Muslim player in the Indian cricket team right now? How many times since independence has this happened that there is no Muslim player in India's cricket team? Have the Muslims stopped playing cricket? Or are the players who choose the players to rule the rules of any other game?'
क्या इस समय भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम में कोई मुस्लिम खिलाड़ी है ?
— Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) October 22, 2017
आज़ादी से आज तक ऐसा कितनी बार हुआ कि भारत की क्रिकेट... https://t.co/Nb6ufi71qX
Responding to his question, India's legendary spin bowler Harbhajan Singh wrote, "Anyone who plays for the cricket team is an Indian their caste or colour shouldn’t be discussed." The tweet has been retweeted over 2.7k times so far.
हिंदू मुस्लिम सिख ईसाई आपस में है भाई। क्रिकेट टीम में खेलने वाला हर खिलाड़ी हिंदुस्तानी है उसकी जात या रंग की बात नहीं होनी चाहिए (जय भारत) https://t.co/UVvSHaLJdY
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 23, 2017
Turbanator Harbhajan Singh's social media avatar is just like his cricketing avatar. Bhaji is also considered a troll slayer because he is as good on social media as he is on the field. And whenever needed the Indian spinner opens up about his thought and gives a mouthful if necessary.
First published: 24 October 2017, 17:12 IST