Mohammad Shami's wife narrates what exactly unfolded at her Kolkata home
What’s the story?
Following the incident in which three youths in Kolkata tried to barge into Mohammad Shami’s house, the pacer’s wife Hasin Jahan narrated what exactly unfolded that day.
"When we reached home on Saturday, three cars were already parked in front of our house. Yet, we managed to leave space for other vehicles to pass. But this man picked up an argument. It seemed to have been settled down but they just barged into our house minutes later. They kept kicking on our door for 10 minutes. I am still living in fear and shock. Ever since we came here, we have faced one problem or the other. Though nothing major has happened so far, we do feel insecure," Mrs. Shami was quoted as saying by Zee News.
Extra cover: Irfan Pathan posts picture with wife, sparks outrage
In case you didn’t know...
On Saturday evening, when the Indian pacer was returning home with his better-half, his driver happened to hit a motorbike parked near Shami’s house. This led to a verbal rift between the bike owner and the driver, and Shami intervened to settle the matter. But later that night, the youth, in an attempt to seek vengeance, attempted to barge into the cricketer’s Jadavpur apartment, and also got along two of his friends. The gatekeeper was beaten up and abused on trying to stop the three boys.
The heart of the matter
Following the incident, Kolkata police arrested three residents from Shami’s locality. They have been booked under IPC sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 341 (wrongful restraint). Shami's neighbours are yet to come to terms with how an international cricketer could be treated this way.
What’s next?
Shami is back with the Indian team which has reached Sri Lanka to play 3 Tests, 5 ODIs and a lone T20I. This will be the first assignment for new head coach Ravi Shastri, and also for bowling coach Bharat Arun, who previously was in the same post from 2014-2016. As for the islanders, this will be the first limited-overs-series as a captain for Upal Tharanga. The new Test captain Dinesh Chandimal led the side in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which they won.
Author’s take
While cricketers in India enjoy a demi-god status, there are always those few people who would consider themselves before anybody else. Very recently, Sourav Ganguly was mistreated by a fellow co-passenger on the train and India’s 2007 World Cup hero Joginder Sharma’s father was robbed. But it is best to nip these matters in the bud because irrespective of what happens, these cricketers will remain stars for majority of the fans.