Vinesh Phogat expressed her disappointment with the lack of support from the cricket community, stating that despite being worshiped by the entire country, not a single cricketer has spoken up.
She clarified that they are not expecting the cricketers to take sides but to put up a neutral message, advocating for justice for whichever party is right.
Vinesh emphasized that it’s not just cricket players but also athletes from other sports like badminton, athletics, and boxing who have remained silent.
She cited the example of the ‘Black Lives Matter movement, which began in the US but saw sportspersons from across the world unite to fight racism and discrimination.
“It’s not like we don’t have big athletes in our country. There are cricketers… During the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, they showed their support. Don’t we deserve even that much,” she asked.
Drawing on the ‘Black Lives Matter movement that originated in the US but garnered support from athletes worldwide to fight against racism and discrimination, she highlighted the absence of a similar response from prominent athletes in India.
She pointed out that India has notable athletes, including cricketers, who demonstrated their support for the movement in the US.
She questioned why they couldn’t extend even that much support to the ongoing protest in their country, saying, “Don’t we deserve that much?”