‘Don’t hold any grudge against Ishant Sharma, he’s like a brother’: Darren Sammy

West Indies all-rounder, Darren Sammy has clarified that he has no personal grudge against Ishant Sharma for calling him “Kalu” during his IPL stint with SRH and has moved on from the incident. Darren Sammy raised his voice against racism following the custodial killing of George Floyd in America. He called out Sunrisers Hyderabad teammates who racially abused him during his stint with SRH in 2013-14.

“I don’t hold any grudges. I’ve spoken to Ishant, I consider him like a brother, just like I did back in 2014. But as a person, if I get to know that there are certain racial slurs being used to describe me or there is a possibility of any such comments, I think it is only wise to confront and clarify,” Sammy told TOI.

“To me, it seems sorted and I have decided to move on and Ishant must be moving on too. However, that episode did start a conversation about the way we look at people of colour. I think all these stirred much-needed conversations in the world of cricket. I did identify with some of such problems, and I don’t regret talking about it.“

Sammy also stated that ICC should also educate the players about the subject and just like anti-corruption, emphasis should also be made on anti-racism.

“All the emphasis that ICC puts on anti-corruption should also be put into anti-racism and players should be educated about the subject,” said the 36-year-old.

“Nobody can make me feel that I am any less than others because of the colour…Some people are not as vocal as others. So I consciously choose to be their voice and make them be heard.”