I’m 64 years old, but I’m not too old to use my phone to access social media. Arshdeep Singh, a 23-year-old Indian pacer who lost a catch against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai, received trolling on social media from fans.
I kept track of Arshdeep’s abuse as well as the encouraging remarks.
When I first started watching Arshdeep, I assumed that mistakes like a dropped catch were common in sports. No player ever purposefully misses a catch.
Arshdeep grabbed two wickets in the opening game against India and Pakistan earlier in the competition. On that particular day, some of the other players didn’t play well. Since India had won the opening game, these flaws were overlooked. Arshdeep was held accountable for India’s defeat, which was unfortunate.
Cricket matches between India and Pakistan have not been played since last year, and since neither nation has participated in any bilateral series, these contests in multi-team competitions are the only way players like Arshdeep Singh can feel the strain. As a result, each match between India and Pakistan is like a celebration for both the participants and the general populace. In countries where one side wins, there are celebrations, while there is mourning in the other.
Today, I observe cricket players from India and Pakistan laughing together after a match, but they are only partially aware of the stress such games place on them.