WORLD CUP: INDIA'S TALISMAN AGAINST NEGATIVITY, HATE

The bursting of firecrackers till late on Diwali night in the national capital—a Supreme Court-imposed ban notwithstanding—continued to distress environmentally conscious individuals this year, too. According to some pollution measuring agencies, the air quality index of Delhi and National Capital Region had peaked at 999, even as official figures were indicating something else.

- SHASHI SHEKHAR

Strong winds and mild rain two days before the festival of lights had dramatically decreased pollution levels, but the relief was fleeting. Social media debates on the subject raged on. Who knew that a miracle awaited the following week, silencing those spreading hatred?

Yes, I’m referring to cricket. On Wednesday, Mohammed Shami took seven wickets to ensure India’s victory over New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. This is the same Shami who had been trolled for India’s devastating defeat against Pakistan in the T-20 World Cup two years back. Some advised him to go to Pakistan, while others accused him of being a Pakistani agent.

What most people didn’t know or care about was the fact that at that point, this player from Amroha, a little town in Uttar Pradesh, had been going through a rough patch in his life. His now estranged wife, Hasin Jahan (formerly a cheerleader), had levelled numerous charges against him since 2018. This wrecked Shami. He said in an Instagram chat with captain Rohit Sharma in 2020 that he had even contemplated suicide in those circumstances.