Published 16:17 IST, June 9th 2020
Sammy racism claims fuelled by Ishant Sharma's SRH post from 2014 resurfacing online
A 2014 Instagram post by Ishant Sharma has resurfaced online after Darren Sammy racism claims, where the Indian fast bowler calls the ex-WI skipper 'Kaluu.'
Advertisement
Amidst the Black Lives Matter campaign running across the globe, former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy alleged that he was dealt with discrimination based on race and colour in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during his stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain spent two seasons with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and his claims have come as a shock to many fans and former cricketers. Now an old picture of Ishant Sharma has resurfaced online which have acted as proof of the Darren Sammy racism claims.
Ishant Sharma's 2014 Sunrisers Hyderabad post acts as proof of Darren Sammy racism claims
Darren Sammy claims he and teammate Thisara Perera from Sri Lanka were subject to social injustice in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room. The Sammy racism claims come after the former West Indian skipper understood the 'Kalu meaning' something both Sammy and Perera were addressed by fans and SRH teammates. Sammy took the Kalu meaning to be a strong stallion and expressed his anguish and anger in a series of Instagram stories.
Now a 2014 post by Ishant Sharma backs the Darren Sammy racism claims, where Ishant can be seen alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Darren Sammy and Dale Steyn. In the captain, Ishant Sharma called Darren Sammy 'Kaluu'. The Sammy racism claims are further strengthened by another 2014 post, this time by the former West Indian captain himself, wishing Indian cricket legend VVS Laxman. Sammy wished Laxman on his birthday and asked him to remember 'dark kalu', which believes it was used jokingly on him by everyone.
In a new video on his Instagram account, Darren Sammy claimed that he was called kalu by some of his teammates in a recent video that he posted on Instagram on Monday. The former West Indian captain stated that got to know the meaning of the word recently in wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that have been taking place all over the world. Sammy reveals that there was laughter every time when Sammy or Perera were referred to by the word. The former all-rounder added that he will be naming and messaging the people who called him by the word but did not reveal their identities in the Instagram video.
Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel deny Darren Sammy racism claims
Recently, Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel, both who were part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad set up in 2014, have responded to the Darren Sammy racism claims by suggesting that neither saw or heard any derogatory comments made towards him or Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera. In an article for The Telegraph, Irfan Pathan said that while racism existed in the Indian cricket circuit, he was not aware of any of the derogatory references made towards Sammy, a claim backed by wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel. Pathan adds that had Sammy suffered abuse, the matter would definitely have been discussed within the SRH team management.
16:17 IST, June 9th 2020