Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy Hardik Pandya for taking a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Pandya, playing for Mumbai Indians in Indian Premier League (IPL) season 13 took a knee in solidarity with the BLM movement after scoring a half-century during the Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians match in IPL 2020. Pandya smashed a 20-ball fifty and took a knee and raised his fist to celebrate the milestone. His effort to support the BLM movement was also praised by MI captain Kieron Pollard from the dugout.

Pandya became the first cricketer in the IPL and also the first Indian cricketer to take a knee and show his support towards the BLM movement. Sammy, who has been very vocal about the lack of support towards the campaign among Indian cricketers and also in the IPL appreciated Pandya for showing solidarity. Quoting Pandya’ tweet, Sammy wrote on Twitter ‘respect’ along with a couple of fist-raising emojis.

Daren Sammy Praises Hardik Pandya for Showing Solidarity With BLM Movement

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder and West Indies Test captain, Jason Holder had shared his disappointment about the lack of a discussion and support towards the BLM movement in the IPL. “To be honest, I haven’t had one conversation up here around it (BLM). Sometimes it seems it has gone unnoticed, which is a sad thing,” Holder said in a video posted on the Cricket West Indies’ official Twitter handle.

Pandya, meanwhile, smashed the West Indies bowlers all-round the park and scored a 20-ball half-century. His knock of 60 from 21 deliveries was studded with seven sixes and two boundaries. But it failed to lead Mumbai Indians to a win as Rajasthan Royals chased down the 196-run target in 18.2 overs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2020 09:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).