T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli reveals how India and Pakistan decided to support Black Lives Matter movement together on Sunday
Virat Kohli has given an insight into the process that went behind India and Pakistan showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Sunday.
Indian players took a knee before the first ball was bowled in the T20 World Cup match in Dubai. This was the first such gesture from the Men in Blue. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul took a knee on the field and the rest of the Indian players did the same from outside the boundary ropes. The Pakistan team joined them in support as well, holding their hands on their hearts.
Virat Kohli, in the post-match press conference, said the decision was made by the Indian management and the Pakistan team agreed to join them with their tribute. He said:
"That was communicated to us by the management. The Pakistan team agreed to pay their tribute towards the same cause and then we accepted our side of things as well. So yeah, that's how it was decided."
Team India Knee down for the humanity - Together. https://t.co/oWfo33pX6R
The Black Lives Matter movement is a decentralized cause for the fight against racism. It was born in 2013 and has gained momentum in the last couple of years. Many sporting teams and players have shown their support to the movement via gestures such as taking a knee and holding a fist overhead.
Pakistan trounce Virat Kohli's India by 10 wickets
Tough day for #TeamIndia at the office, but we will bounce back in our next game.
#T20WorldCup #INDvPAK https://t.co/mYwYXVN6xc
Meanwhile, in the highly-anticipated encounter Pakistan convincingly defeated the Indians by 10 wickets. Virat Kohli's men put up a competitive 151-7 in the first innings, courtesy of the skipper's 49-ball 57.
However, it was nowhere near enough as Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan took a complete toll on the bowling mistakes and dewy conditions.
Azam scored a calm 68 off 52 balls and was underpinned by Rizwan's brilliant 79. The duo helped the Men in Green shoot the total down in 17.5 overs.