After his splendid entry against the Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians’ all-rounder Hardik Pandya knelt in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. He is the first player in the current Indian Premier League season to make this gesture.
After turning half a century in the 19th century, he knelt with his right arm raised to show solidarity with the anti-racism movement. West Indies all-rounder and alternate captain for Mumbai, Kieron Pollard, responded by raising his right fist.
Social media reacted instantly. While Pandya was praised for showing his support for the global anti-racist movement, he has been widely criticized by social media for failing to take a stand against caste atrocities, discrimination against minorities, and violence against women. Twitterati was quick to point out the duality of his act of solidarity.
What about the lives of Dalits? Many people asked on Twitter.
An upper caste Indian cricketer knelt in support of Black Lives Matter. Dear Hardik Pandya, did you say anything about how there are ZERO Dalits and Adivasi cricketers in India? Did you say anything about the caste atrocities committed against us? Change begins at home. pic.twitter.com/EKAcgHq1Tz
– Sankul // Dalit Lives Matter (@ sankul333) October 25, 2020
Yes, Hardik Pandya will support the Black Lives affair, but when he reaches his own country, he will blame Ambedkar for the reservations. These elites for a reason.
– Homo Sapien (@manda_odu) October 25, 2020
What if whites say “Dalit lives matter” and never say a word about “Black lives matter”?
– ત્રાસી ગયો છું (@CMouthed) October 26, 2020
Do you see why we ask celebrities to use their platforms? Hardik Pandya tweeted and now the stuff of black lives is trending? But what about the country that you and I live in? Did we have to ORGANIZE people to make the trend of Dalit lives matter? This is your land, don’t be ignorant.
– B (@ ambedkar4life) October 26, 2020
it’s not hardik pandya to talk about the importance of black lives while conveniently not talking about atrocities against dalits, muslims and women in india … hahaha
– s (@cowsarebabie) October 26, 2020
to @ hardikpandya7, you knelt in support of #blacklivesmatter , a movement against structural oppression. But do you have the guts to acknowledge caste oppression in India? Did you talk about Hathras? Will you face your own teammates who display caste supremacy? pic.twitter.com/QCfa5GaTKK
– Agatha Srishtie #DALITLIVESMATTER (@SrishtyRanjan) October 25, 2020
Indians like to be cool, but they are conditioned to be smart. Cool wearing a black band and supporting the lives of blacks matter. Intelligent keeping his mouth shut on castes and fanaticism. Smart enough to know when to be cool and when to go about his own business.
– Atticus Balgit Finch (@malayaliatticus) October 26, 2020
After the game, Pandya even tweeted a photo of himself with the caption “#BlackLivesMatter.” Last week, West Indies Test skipper Jason Holder, who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderbad, had expressed his disappointment that none of the IPL teams knelt in solidarity with the movement, which, in his opinion, went unnoticed in the league.
“To be honest, I haven’t had a conversation here about this (BLM). Sometimes it seems like it has gone unnoticed, which is kind of sad.” I suppose we must re-emphasize the importance of this, because people understand what is happening in the world, “Holder had said.
The “kneel down” gesture began at the West Indies test series in England this summer in protest against racism after African-American George Floyd was killed by a white police officer on duty in Minneapolis. But the gesture was later discontinued for subsequent tours to Pakistan and Australia.
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