Screenshot from Ishant Sharma’s Instagram profile. (Source: ishant.sharma29)
Darren Sammy has ignited a debate around racism in IPL after he claimed that along with Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera they were subjected to racist remarks while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Sammy had alleged that he remembered being called ‘K***’ during his time with the IPL franchise while his teammates used to laugh.
Now supporting his claims, an old photograph from Ishant Sharma’s Instagram handle has resurfaced where members of the SRH 2014 squad- Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Darren Shammy and Dale Styne can be seen.
Ishant Sharma had posted the picture on May 14, 2014 with a caption saying.” Me, Bhuvi, kaluu and gun sunrisers.”
With fresh allegations from Sammy, the image has gone viral with cricket fans lambasting Ishant Sharma for his casual racism towards his former teammate.
Read | ‘Unaware’: Irfan Pathan, Parvez Rasool on Darren Sammy’s racism claims in IPL
It all started when protests against the alleged killing of African-American George Floyd rocked the US. Supporting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign, Sammy made these startling revelations of being subjected to racism in India while playing in the IPL.
Sammy, who is the only captain to have won the T20 World Cup twice – in 2012 and in 2016 – said he and Sri Lank all-rounder Thisara Perera were called as ‘kalu’ while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Sammy who was a part of the SRH squad from 2013-14, alleged, “I have played all over the world and I have been loved by many people, I have embraced all dressing rooms where I have played, so I was listening to Hasan Minhaj as to how some of the people in his culture describe black people,” Sammy said in the Instagram video.