Trolls attack Anushka Sharma on Twitter after Virat Kohli defends Mohammed Shami

"There's a good reason why we are playing on the field and not some bunch of spineless people on social media that have no courage to actually speak to any individual in person," Kohli said in Dubai, a day before India's next fixture, against New Zealand. "They hide behind their identities and go after people through social media, making fun of people and that has become a source of entertainment in today's world, which is so unfortunate and sad to see because this is literally the lowest level of human potential that one can operate at, and that's how I look at these people.

"To me attacking someone over their religion is the most, I would say, pathetic thing that a human being can do. Everyone has the right to voice their opinion and what they feel about certain situations, but I personally have never ever even thought of discriminating [against] anyone over their religion. That is a very sacred and personal thing to every human being and that should be left there."

Kohli stressed that the entire team has rallied behind Shami, and that the team culture was so strong, these sort of attacks had no chance of having an impact.

Soon after Virat Kohli's press statement, trolls did not spare even the captain, and many went on to taunt his wife, Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma. Many called out Virat Kohli for giving 'gyan' on social media and blamed him for India's performance against Pakistan. They brought Anushka Sharma's context as he is a strong advocate for not celebrating Diwali with fireworks. Here's a look at the spate of attack Sharma faced on social media along with Kohli.

This is not the first time that the actress has been subjected to such massive trolling. In the past too, Anushka has found herself at the centre of hate after every key match of Team India. In 2016, Kohli had come out in support of Anushka when trolls spewed venom against her after Kohli's less than perfect performance in the T20 internationals.