'Harbhajan slams Mohammad Shami fasting row: You do it because you sit at home, treat sports separately'

During the holy month of Ramzan, Mohammed Shami faced backlash from a Muslim cleric for not fasting. The India pacer was criticized and called a 'criminal and sinner' for choosing to focus on his cricket commitments, as India played against Australia in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy.

Ramzan is a period of fasting observed by Muslims. The Muslim cleric, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, labelled Shami a ‘criminal’ for not fasting and said that it was a sin.

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Speaking to India Today, India legend Harbhajan Singh rushed to Shami’s defence and asked not to mix religion with the pacer’s sporting commitments.

“I think I just want to say that this is my personal view-I might be wrong or right. Sports should be treated separately. People who feel religion is playing this role or that role, I think it's fine to kind of do your routine-what you do in your religion. But people expecting Shami to do this or Rohit Sharma to do this or any XYZ to do this or that during a certain period (is not fair),” he said.

“You might be doing it because you are sitting at home or doing your own routine work. But when you are playing as a sportsman, if you don't keep yourself hydrated, you might collapse. And of course, with the kind of heat they are playing in, I think they need to drink water. They can't go through the game without having a drink or a snack. It's your body, after all-you need fuel,” he added.

India defeated Australia by four wickets in the semi-finals, and are scheduled to face New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday, in Dubai. Rohit Sharma and Co. have also faced criticism for being allowed to play all their matches in the same venue in Dubai, with opponents feeling that it gives India home advantage.

India didn’t travel to Pakistan for the tournament due to geo-political diplomatic relations between both countries. Instead, ICC accepted India’s request to play in a neutral venue, and opted for Dubai.

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