India opener Mukund slams racial slur

Mukund, who is with the Indian team in Sri Lanka, was clicked with skipper Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and others enjoying a dine out after India thrashed Sri Lanka in the second Test last week. The picture posted by Pandya on his twitter account, however, took an ugly turn when Mukund was hurled with racist comments for being dark skinned. 

He then took to Twitter to speak about the issue and posted an emotional message. “Ever since I was young, people’s obsession with my skin colour has always been a mystery to me. Anyone who follows cricket would understand the obvious. I have played and trained day in day out in the sun and not once have I regretted the fact that I have tanned or lost a couple of shades. It is simply because I love what I do and I have been able to achieve certain things only because I have spent hours outdoor. I come from Chennai, probably one of the hottest places in our country and I have gladly spent most of my adult life in the cricket ground,” he said in his post.

He went on to add: “I have been subject to a lot of name calling. I have laughed and shrugged it off because I had bigger goals! Affected young, I toughened up because this was never something that would pull me down. There were many times when I chose not to dignify these insults with responses.” 

The left-handed batsman went on to conclude by saying, “Fair isn’t the only lovely or handsome guys. Stay true, stay focused and be comfortable in your own skin.” Mukund’s team mates Pandya, Manoj Tiwary and Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted their support. “Muk on point I love,” tweeted Pandya while Ashwin said, “Read and learn, don’t make it a headline cos it’s someone’s emotion.”