Veteran India pacer Mohammad Shami has broken his silence regarding the rumours, involving him and Tennis star Sania Mirza.
Not long ago, various social media posts claimed that Shami and Sania are about to get married. The manipulated pictures of the two Indian sportspersons also surfaced online.
Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube podcast, Shami was enquired about the rumours and the fast bowler slammed the ones responsible for circulating such news online.
Shami also urged people to refrain from spreading lies on social media, and added that such memes may provide entertainment but they can be harmful.
"I urge everyone to be responsible with social media and refrain from spreading such unfounded news," Shami said.
"Ajeeb hi hai aur hai kya usme? zabardasti kiya hai par kya karien? Phone kholo toh apna hi photo dikhta hai. Lekin mai ek hi cheez bolna chahunga - Kisiko nehi kheechna chahiye aisa. Main maanta hu memes aapke mazaak ke liye hai lekin kisi ke life se related hote hai. Toh aapko bari soch samajh kar memes banana chahiye. Aaj aap verified page nehi ho, aapka address nehi hai, known nehi ho toh aap bol sakte ho." (It is weird and done purposely for some lame fun. But what can be done? If I open my phone then I could see those memes. But I would only like to say I think that memes are made for fun, but if they are related to someone's life, then you must think about it and then share such things. These people share from unverified pages and get away by saying anything and everything)."
"Lekin mai ek hi cheez bolna chahunga - agar aap mein dum hai toh verified page se bolke dikhao, fir hum batate hai. Dusre ki taang kheechna bohot aasan hai. Success achieve karo, apna level upar karo. Tab main manunga aap acche insaan hai." (But I would like to say one thing - if you have the guts to say all these things from a verified page, then I will reply. Try achieving success, help people and upgrade yourself then I will believe that you are a good person)," he added.
Mohammad Shami underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year. As a result, he missed the home Test series against England, followed by the IPL and the T20 World Cup.
Shami is likely to make a comeback in the home series against Bangladesh. India will host Bangladesh for two Tests and three T20 Internationals in September-October.
