Batting for tolerance

A sportsman steps in where politicians fail

The absence of robust condemnation of hate speech and cultural intolerance by India’s current political leadership has had the effect of creating a climate of tacit acceptance of this toxic trend in the public discourse. Ironically, it fell to the captain of India’s cricket team, a man with no noticeable interest in politics, to expose the moral bankruptcy of the country’s elected leadership. This he did through his forthright condemnation of the social media invective heaped on India’s sole Muslim player for the 10-wicket loss to Pakistan recently. Virat Kohli’s spirited defence of Mohammed Shami indirectly offered an encouraging endorsement