Since the death of the African-American George Floyd, many athletes, and sports stars have come out supporting and even talking about the racial abuse they faced.
West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy also spoke about how he faced racism in the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) camp in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Now, former India batsman Aakash Chopra has also revealed that he was subjected to racism during his stint in English league cricket. Chopra said that during a league match in England, two-South African players continuously used abusive spree against him.
"We (cricketers) at one point or the other, have been victims of racism. I remember when I used to play league cricket in England, there were two South African is one of the opposition teams and both of them really went on an abusive spree. Even when I was at the non-striker's end, they were after my life. They were constantly calling me Paki," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"Now many believe Paki is a short form of Pakistan but that is not true. If you are brown-skinned. If you`re anywhere from the Asian subcontinent, this term is used to racially abuse. You`re called Paki, and nobody likes it. The moment you call anybody Paki in England, you know the intention behind it. That`s what happened to me at that time. My team stood by me but the truth is the person in front of me was doing it," he added.
The veteran Indian cricketer turned commentator, further explained how deep-rooted the problem is in every part of the world. He even spoke about Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds who faced racism in India.
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"It happens everywhere. If you are white-skinned, it happens with them too when they come to this part of the world. They are also subjected to this kind of behaviour. In fact, when Andrew Symonds came to India, so many Monkey chants started filling up the Wankhede Stadium. That is when people were told that your entry will be banned," Chopra said.
As for Sammy, he has been a vocal supporter of the protests that are currently going on in the United States. He had also made an appeal to the ICC and other cricket boards to support the fight against social injustice and racism.
