Usman Khawaja, Cummins react to viral video of Ashes celebrations

The Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has recently won hearts and earned praises from netizens after a video of him showing respect to a  Muslim teammate went viral. 

In the video, Cummins could be seen stopping his teammates from champagne celebrations after his side sealed a 4-0 Ashes series win on Sunday to ensure one of his Muslim teammates, Usman Khawaja, wouldn't feel left out.

Reacting to the video, Usman Khawaja, the first Muslim cricketer to play for Australia, said: “If this video doesn't show you that the boys have my back, I don't know what will.”

Taking to Twitter, Khawaja, an Australian cricketer of Pakistani origin, said that his teammates stopped their normal champagne celebrations so he could rejoin the victory celebrations.

“Inclusivity in the game and our values as a sport are so important,” he added.

The cricketer further added: “I feel like we are trending in the right direction.”

Commenting on the video, Cummins said: "I knew that Usman is Muslim and he does not like the champagne being thrown.”

“Being a captain, I just ensured that Usman could participate in the victory celebration along with the team,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Australian team, after winning the Ashes series on Sunday, started popping open champagne bottles to celebrate the victory but Khawaja stepped aside to avoid being sprayed on with alcohol.

Meanwhile, skipper Cummins took notice of it and stopped his teammates from popping open champagne bottles so that Khawaja could rejoin them. Khawaja returned to the stage and celebrated the victory.