'It hurts me': Suniel Shetty on KL Rahul being trolled after India's loss in Cricket World Cup final

Indian cricketer KL Rahul has been subjected to brutal trolling in the aftermath of India’s loss to Australia in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The wicketkeeper has been targeted for poor fielding and scoring only 66 runs off 107 deliveries. Following the constant backlash, Suniel Shetty recently defended his son-in-law and revealed it bothered him a lot.

Asked whether the comments against Rahul hurt him, Shetty said, “Very very much, probably more than it hurts him (KL Rahul). Probably more than my own trolls hurt me. You know the way the children are. They’d never talk about anything. He says, ‘Let it be, Dad. My bat will talk.’ And it’s spoken. The faith of the people, the faith of the captain, the selectors in him said it all. So we’ve never said anything. But trust me, it hurts me ten times, a hundred times more than it would Rahul or Athiya or anybody else. As parents, only Rahul’s parents and we go through more than even (what) the kids would go through.”

Heaping praise on his son-in-law, Shetty said, “I am a fan of his (KL Rahul). I was then, I am a fan of his cricket even now. He may be my son, but I am his fan. They must have lost the final, but they won every heart in this country. When I meet people, they say, ‘What a team, yaar.’ Earlier it would be only about winning and losing.”

KL Rahul is married to Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty, a Bollywood actress. The couple tied the knot earlier this year in January in a dreamy ceremony attended by close friends and family. Suniel Shetty, on the work front, is currently filming for his next Welcome To The Jungle and the most awaited Hera Pheri 3.

India was bowled out for just 240 runs in the World Cup 2023 final. The 192-run partnership between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne led Australia to lift the World Cup trophy for the sixth time.