“I have been given a job” - Mohammed Shami opens up on social media trolling

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami gets constantly trolled whenever India locks horns with Pakistan, despite having an impressive record in ICC tournaments. Notably, Shami was the leading wicket-taker, scalping 24 wickets at the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023.

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Moreover, he also pocketed nine wickets at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, emerging as the joint-leading wicket-taker of the campaign. It’s worth noting that Shami was attacked on social media after India suffered a defeat to Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, as people termed him a traitor and anti-national.

Interestingly, in that particular game, Shami went on to leak runs at an economy rate of 11.2, conceding 43 runs in 3.5 overs as Pakistan went on to win the game by a 10-wicket margin, while India failed to advance past the Super 12 stage.

In an exclusive interview with News24, Shami has opened up on online trolling, stating that he is not a machine, but he is working hard throughout the year, sometimes he might succeed, and other times he might fail.

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"I pay no heed to such trolling. I have been given a job. I am not a machine. If I am working hard throughout the year, sometimes I will fail, sometimes I will succeed. It's up to people how they want to take that," Shami said on News24.

"When you play for your country, you forget all such things. For you, taking wickets and winning the match become more important. I don't want to go on social media at such times. You see both positive and negative comments. When you're playing, you need to stay far away from such things,” he added.

"We work hard to succeed. Trolls just have to type two lines. True fans will never do such things. If you have objections, then raise them—but respectfully. If you think you can do better than me, please come and try. It's always open,” he noted.

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