Congress MP Shashi Tharoor spoke to the media regarding the recent high-voltage Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, addressing the emotions and controversies surrounding the game. He acknowledged that while strong emotions against Pakistan are understandable, the spirit of the game should remain separate from politics and military conflicts.
Tharoor stated, “I personally feel that once the decision had been made to play, if we feel so strongly about Pakistan, we should not have played. But if we are going to play them, we should play in the spirit of a game, and we should have shaken their hands,” as cited by news agency ANI.
He further recalled past instances, saying, “We have done this before in 1999, when the Kargil War was going on. On the very day the soldiers were dying for our country, we were playing the World Cup in England against Pakistan. We were shaking their hands even then because the spirit of the game is a different spirit from what goes on between countries, between armies and so on. That is my view.”
The Congress MP from Kerala also remarked on the reactions from both sides during the match. He expressed that the responses demonstrated a lack of sportsmanship. “Sport should always be played in the spirit of the game rather than putting the political spectrum in between,” he added.
Addressing the series of provocations, Shashi Tharoor said, “If the Pakistani team, having been insulted the first time, decided to insult us back the second time, it shows that the spirit of the game is lacking on both sides,” according to ANI.
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially lodged a complaint against Pakistani cricketers Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf for their inappropriate conduct during the Asia Cup Super Four encounter on September 21.
During Pakistan’s innings, opener Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century by holding his bat like a gun, a gesture widely criticized as insensitive and provocative. Later in the match, fast bowler Haris Rauf, while fielding at the boundary line, responded to jeers from Indian spectators by lifting his fingers to indicate “0-6” — a reference to Pakistan’s unsubstantiated claims of downing six Indian fighter jets during “Operation Sindoor.”
According to BCCI sources, a formal complaint has been filed with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and match referee Andy Pycroft. The Indian team has demanded strict action against both players for conduct that crossed acceptable on-field behavior, reports ANI.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/shashi-tharoor-wants-indian-cricketers-to-play-in-the-spirit-of-the-game-against-pakistan-23595728
