Virat Kohli has lambasted “spineless people on social media” who criticised Mohammed Shami after India’s T20 World Cup loss to Pakistan, labelling them “pathetic”.
Shami was condemned by some in cyberspace after he conceded 43 runs in 3.5 overs in India's 10-wicket defeat to their neighbours in Dubai last Sunday.
Some of the comments focused on the fast bowler's religion, and termed him an “agent” for Pakistan.
A number of former players spoke out to support Shami, and Kohli used his pre-match press conference ahead of India’s game against New Zealand on Sunday to defend his teammate.
“There’s a reason we are playing on the field and not some bunch of spineless people on social media, who have no courage to speak to any individual in person,” Kohli said.
“They hide behind their entities and go after people through social media, making fun of people. That has become a source of entertainment in today’s world, which is so unfortunate and sad to see.
“This is literally the lowest level of human potential that one can operate at. That’s how I look at these people.”
Kohli said his teammates all understand “the strength of character and the mental toughness that we have,” but that it is not shared by the online trolls.
“None of these people are even in the vicinity to imagine doing something like that, or have the courage or the spine to do that,” Kohli said.
“All this drama that is created on the outside is purely based on people’s frustrations, their lack of self-confidence, their lack of compassion.
“Hence, they find it so amusing to go after people. As a group, we understand how we need to stick together, how we need to back individuals, how we need to focus on our strengths.”
Kohli reiterated his side had been “outplayed” as a team by Pakistan, and said they were “itching to go back on the park” against New Zealand after a seven-day break between matches.
And he said all of his colleagues would be backing Shami “200 per cent”.
“Attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing a human being can do,” Kohli said.
“Everyone has the right to voice their opinions and what they feel about certain situations.
“I personally have never ever even thought of discriminating a person over their religion. That is a very sacred and personal thing to every human being.
“People take out their frustrations because they obviously have no understanding of what we do as individuals. They have no understanding of how much effort we put in on the field.
“They have no understanding of the fact Mohammed Shami has won India n-number of matches in the last few years.
“He has been our primary bowler with Jasprit Bumrah when it comes to making an impact in matches.
“If people can overlook that and his passion for the country, I don’t want to waste one minute of my life giving attention to those people. Neither does Shami or anyone else in the team.”
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
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