Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on Monday came out in defence of his former girlfriend and actor Anushka Sharma, who was trolled on social media following their breakup in February. Kohli, who helped India reach the semifinals of the ongoing World Twenty20 2016 by smashing an unbeaten 82 against Australia on Sunday, took to Twitter and Instagram on Monday, saying, "Shame on people for trolling Anushka Sharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity."

Kohli and Sharma's two-year relationship was often under the limelight in the traditional and social media, with any blip in the cricketer's form being blamed on the actor. According to CricketCountry.com, Sharma was blasted by Indian cricket fans after Kohli’s failures in England in 2014 and in the semifinals of the 2015 World Cup. His peak in the runup to the 2016 T20 World Cup was also put down to their breakup in February.