World Cup: Harbhajan Singh calls for respect, urges fans to avoid targeting Australian cricketers' families

By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Nov 21, 2023, 5:09 PM IST

After Australia's ICC World Cup win, online abuse targeted cricketers' families, sparking condemnation. Harbhajan Singh spoke against abusive trolling, emphasizing sportsmanship. Wives of players like Glenn Maxwell faced severe abuse. Despite negativity, congrats poured in for Australia. Indian team received praise for their performance, garnering support nationwide. PM Modi consoled Team India, lauding their efforts post-final loss.

Following Australia's triumph over India in the ICC World Cup final, a disturbing trend of online abuse and criticism targeting Australian cricketers, their wives, and family members has surfaced on social media. The onslaught of abusive language and offensive posts facilitated through fake accounts, has sparked widespread condemnation.

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh voiced his dismay over the escalating criticism and abuse, taking to social media to address the issue. Through his account, Singh conveyed his disapproval of the distasteful trolling aimed at Australian players and their families, emphasizing that while both teams performed admirably, targeting individuals beyond the game's scope is unacceptable. He urged all cricket enthusiasts to refrain from engaging in such behaviour, highlighting the importance of maintaining dignity and perspective.

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Notably, Indian-born Vini Raman, Glenn Maxwell's wife, faced a significant portion of the online trolling following Australia's victory, enduring severe verbal abuse. Other family members of the Australian cricket team, including Pat Cummins' wife, also became subjects of criticism and derogatory comments.

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Despite the online backlash, an outpouring of congratulatory messages flooded in for the Australian team for their triumph against India. Simultaneously, the performance of the Indian team garnered immense appreciation, with many acknowledging their commendable display throughout the tournament.

Support and encouragement for Team India echoed across various platforms, with sentiments expressed that their fighting spirit, even in defeat, brought pride to the nation. Following the loss in the final match, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his support to the players, visiting the dressing room to console and commend the team. Modi embraced tearful pacer Mohammad Shami and lauded the entire team for their performance, reassuring them that despite the final outcome, their efforts had made the country proud.

Reports of trolling of family members of Australian cricket players is completely in bad taste. We played well but lost the final to better cricket by the Aussies. That's it. Why troll the players and their families? Requesting all cricket fans to stop such behaviour. Sanity and…

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh)

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