Veteran lyricist and renowned public intellectual Javed Akhtar has come out in support of Indian pacer Mohammed Shami after the cricketer faced criticism for not observing roza (fasting) during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia. Shami, a key part of India’s pace attack, was spotted consuming an energy drink during the match in Dubai, a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
Following this, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, the national president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, stated that Shami had sinned by not fasting during the holy month of Ramzan. His remarks sparked widespread debate, with many defending the cricketer’s right to prioritize his professional commitments.
Javed Akhtar, never one to shy away from addressing social issues, took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his support for Shami. In a strongly worded post, he urged the fast bowler to ignore the negativity and continue focusing on his game.
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“Shami saheb, don’t give a damn to those reactionary bigoted idiots who have any problem with your drinking water in a burning afternoon at a cricket field in Dubai. It is none of their business. You are one of the great Indian teams that is making us all proud. My best wishes to you and our whole team,” Akhtar wrote.
Shami saheb , don’t give a damn to those reactionary bigoted idiots who have any problem with your drinking water in a burning afternoon at a cricket field in Dubai . It is none of their business. You are one of the great Indian team that is making us all proud My best wishes…
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) March 7, 2025
Mohammed Shami, unfazed by the controversy, has been instrumental in India’s dominant campaign. His contributions helped India secure a convincing win over Australia, making them the first team to qualify for the Champions Trophy final. India will now take on New Zealand on Sunday, aiming for their third title after previous triumphs in 2002 and 2013.
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India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant
