Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has sent out a stern message to all those who trolled Arshdeep Singh for his dropped catch in the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 match. Akram, indirectly laid out a challenge to people spreading hate on the internet and dared them to troll him, for which he has a befitting reply. Akram’s outburst comes after Arshdeep, India’s left-arm seamer was targetted on social media for his fielding error. The 23-year-old, who made his debut for India earlier this year was attacked with personal comments being made and his Wikipedia page tampered with.
Akram, who was an expert during the Asia Cup, finds the public behaviour bewildering, saying he fails to wrap his head around the fact that these are people from Arshdeep’s own country taking shots at him, and added that had it been him, he would not hold back from replying back to trolls in their own language.
“If social media wants to target or have a go at someone, try me. Muqaabla karna hai to mujhse karo, then I can reply back. I have a very simple theory. If somebody is rude to me, I will be 10 times ruder. If someone will like me or send me a funny message or has a good sense of humour, I will be exactly the same. Having a go at a young kid, your own kid, doesn’t make any sense. I am all for fans and their opinions, but unless and until you haven’t played professional cricket, you don’t know what type of pressures players are going through on and off the field,” Akram had said ahead of the start of the India vs Sri Lanka match.
Akram brought up Hasan Ali’s example, how the Pakistan pacer was trolled incessantly after dropping a catch against Australia in the semi-final of last year’s World Cup, and stressed how this attitude from fans towards people needs to drop. At the end of the day, it is just a game and it is best for everyone that people treat it like one.
“It’s only a game. I saw on social media that a lot of people were having a go at Arshdeep. Their own people… that’s what baffles me. Since dropping that catch in the World Cup last year, every day he trends. These guys read social media. He is a young guy, who is going to play for India for next 10-15 year, and he bowled a brilliant last over. I dropped catches under pressure in crucial games. But you have to move on as a nation,” added Akram.
