Indian cricketer KL Rahul joined the bandwagon of cricketers who have come forth to speak on the issue of racism amid protests over African-American George Floyd's death in the USA.
Floyd died last week gasping for breath while a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on the handcuffed man's neck, leading to violent protests across America.
In a lengthy post shared on Instagram, Rahul said that sports are not governed by colour but by skill.
Naming the post, '22 lines for 22 yards', Rahul wrote, "Why do we love sport so much? Because it is so much more than a game. It is an opportunity..An opportunity to test yourself, both physically and mentally. An opportunity to respect your teammates and opponents. But most importantly...an opportunity to unite different cultures, races and religions.
"When you play the game, you represent humanity. Sports are not governed by colour. They are governed by skill. And life, life should be no different. Humanity can learn a thing or two from sport. On behalf of cricket community, we want to make it clear when we rock up to a pitch, we don't see 22 yards. We see unity, we see love, we see one. Whether you are black, white, brown or blue, we see one. Whether you bowl fast, slow or spin, we see one," he added.
He captioned the post, "Some matters are bigger than the game. But the game can play its part. Change is necessary. #weareone"
Earlier, Rahul's Kings XI Punjab opening pair, Chris Gayle expressed solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign and spoke of the abuse he has faced in an emotionally charged social media post.
"I have travelled the globe and experienced racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on," he posted on instagram on Monday night.
"Racism is not only in football, it's in cricket too. Even within teams as a black man, I get the end of the stick. Black and powerful. Black and proud," he said.
"Black lives matter just like any other life. Black people matter, p***k all racist people, stop taking black people for fools, even our own black people wise the p***k up and stop bringing down your own!," Gayle wrote.
(with PTI inputs)
