Former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Virender Sehwag on Wednesday (June 19) took the social media trolls to task for targeting Sania Mirza after Pakistan’s humiliating 89-runs loss (DLS method) to India in the ongoing World Cup at Old Trafford on Sunday (June 16).
Angry Pakistani fans had posted unwarranted comments on various social sites as the Indian tennis star was seen having a late dinner with husband and veteran Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik on the eve of the match.
Videos and photos of the couple at a sheesha bar emerged on social media a day after Pakistan suffered their 7th successive defeat at the hands of the arch-rivals in World Cup.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Akhtar said: "People are blaming Sania Mirza (for Pakistan's defeat). Pakistan fans are saying she was the reason for the defeat. What is her fault?
"She sometimes has to fend off (online) attacks from Indians or Pakistanis. Now the Pakistanis are after her.. they are asking her why she went there. Shoaib Malik is her husband. They went to have a meal together.. what wrong did they do?," he added.
Legendary India opener Sehwag, who appeared on Shoaib's YouTube channel, made it clear that nobody has the right to talk about players' personal lives.
"I don't think you can connect personal life to their professional careers. I had said this before as well when Virat Kohli got out and Anushka Sharma was there to watch the match. I said you cannot comment on anyone's family.. no matter how emotional you are about your team and your players but you cannot go into their personal life.
"No one has the right(to do that). Sania Mirza and Malik where they go, what they eat and where they go.. no one can interfere there. It is his (Malik's) life.. he has to prepare himself for an India-Pakistan match and it is his wish how he wants to prepare.. let him prepare anyway he wants to.
"No one should raise questions on that. There are guys who cannot sleep till 6 AM.. there are others who go out till 6 AM.. I don't see the problem in that.
"It's okay to say Shoaib Malik is not scoring runs and he should be dropped. But why raise questions on the fact that he went out to have dinner with his wife and he came back late?," Sehwag said.
Here’s the video:
