A day after bludgeoning the Australian bowlers at the World T20 in Mohali, Virat Kohli came to the defence of ex-girlfriend Anushka Sharma, who has become the subject of a lot of abuse and jokes on social media following their recent break-up.
"Shame on people for trolling @AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity," an angry Kohli tweeted on Monday.
"Shame on those people who have been having a go at anushka for the longest time and connecting every negative thing to her. Shame on those people calling themselves educated. Shame on blaming and making fun of her when she has no control over what i do with my sport. If anything she has only motivated and given me more positivity. This was long time coming. Shame on these people that hide and take a dig. And i dont need any respect for this post. Have some compassion and respect her. Think of how your sister or girlfriend or wife would feel if someone trolled them and very conveniently rubbished them in public," he added further on his latest post on Instagram.
Kohli smashed a masterful 82 to guide India to a six-wicket victory over Australia in their final World Twenty20 Super 10 game on Sunday, which set up a semi-final against the West Indies in Mumbai.
Kohli and actress Anushka had reportedly ended their relationship earlier this year.
Reports of differences between the star couple first caught the eye of fans when Virat had 'unfollowed' Anushka on photo-sharing platform Instagram.
A report in BollywoodLife.com quoted sources close to Virat and Anushka as saying that the couple actually called it quits because of disagreements over marriage.
The Virat-Anushka romance came to the fore when the couple’s pictures from a holiday in New Zealand last year were leaked online. The duo then made it more official by attending events together and even visiting each other during work.
Anushka was frequently seen cheering the batting superstar from the stands during India's matches as well as the Indian Premier League.