Shami was subjected to online abuse after India’s 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan.
Shami was subjected to online abuse after India’s 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan in Dubai last Sunday (October 24).
“Those who are making such remarks, do they matter? I don’t think these faceless trolls matter. We don’t care what they have to say, because they have no identity,” Gavaskar told India Today.
He also praised India skipper Virat Kohli for extending his support to Shami, who has represented the country in 54 Tests, 79 ODIs, and 13 T20Is so far.
“Good to see the way Virat Kohli and other team members have rallied behind Mohammad Shami. It is a great sign. Backing each other is the key. This is what we have seen over the last week,” said Gavaskar.
On the eve of India's second T20 World Cup match against New Zealand, Kohli termed the abusers of Shami as “spineless people” who have no idea what it takes to play at the highest level.
Shami had a tough outing against the arch-rivals, conceding 43 runs in his 3.5 overs. After the game, the fast bowler’s Instagram feed was filled with deplorable comments related to his religion.
"To me attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing a human being can do. Everyone has the right to voice their opinion but I personally have never even thought of discriminating someone over their religion,” Kohli said while addressing the pre-match press conference.
"This is literally the lowest potential as a human being one can operate at. There's a reason we are playing on the field and not those spineless people. It is so unfortunate and sad to see people getting entertained.”
The Indian captain also stood in solidarity with Shami, saying that their brotherhood cannot be shaken.
"They have no understanding of the fact that Mohammad Shami has won India a number of matches...If people can overlook that and his passion for the country, I honestly don't want to waste even 1 min of my life on them. We stand by him 200%. Our brotherhood cannot be shaken."
Earlier, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, among others had also condemned the online abuse and supported Shami.