"Shame on you! Shahid Afridi hates everything about our country"
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh was heavily criticised on social media after he declared his support for former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi’s Coronavirus pandemic.
Shahid has appealed for donations in order to help people affected by the deadly virus in Pakistan.
His goodwill gesture led to overwhelming support from leading cricketers. This included the former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj took to Twitter where he shared a video message, calling for citizens to back the fund.
He wrote: “These are testing times, it’s time to look out for each other especially the ones who are lesser fortunate.
“Let’s do our bit, I am supporting Shahid Afridi in this noble initiative of COVID-19.”
https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1244873490303340544
While it was good of Yuvraj to lend his support, and it was acknowledged by Shahid and other cricketers, social media users did not feel the same way about his decision.
Netizens were angered at Yuvraj’s support for a rival player who has heavily criticised the political tensions between India and Pakistan.
One person wrote: “Yuvi come on u r better than this. Choose your friends wisely.”
Another user posted: “Shame on you! Shahid Afridi hates everything about our country and our culture.
“You decide to donate to his foundation instead of the Indian Prime Minister’s. You make me sick.”
Indian politician Vikas Pandey wrote: “Not done! He runs propaganda against India and is one of the most hateful Pakistani celeb and you are supporting him.”
The criticism led to Yuvraj releasing a response to the online trolls.
https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1245295251385958400
Another cricketer who lent his support for Shahid’s COVID-19 fund was Harbhajan Singh.
In a video message, Harbhajan praised the ongoing work and called on other cricketers to make similar appeals.
The off-spinner spoke about the success of the foundation, which is delivering essential items to the poor.
He went on to ask Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar to spread awareness regarding the initiative. Harbhajan also encouraged fans to make a contribution to the foundation during the ongoing pandemic.
However, he ended up being subjected to trolling.
One person said they had “lost respect” for Harbhajan while another posted:
“Horrible. Cricketers are overrated in India.”
Shahid then posted a message, responding to the messages directed at Yuvraj and Harbhajan.
The trolling comes amid tensions between the two countries over Kashmir. As a result of the ongoing dispute, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012-2013.
India is currently under lockdown and it has had over 2,300 confirmed cases and 56 deaths.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has had more than 2,400 cases with 35 fatalities.
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