Congress MP Shashi Tharoor addressed the media regarding the recent tensions surrounding the cricket match between India and Pakistan. While acknowledging that emotions against Pakistan are understandable, he emphasized that the spirit of the game should remain separate from politics and military conflicts.
“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,” Tharoor said, as cited by news agency ANI.
He recalled a similar situation during the 1999 Kargil War, stating, “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 further remarked that the reactions from both sides demonstrated a lack of sportsmanship. He stressed that sport should always be played in the true spirit of the game, rather than being influenced by political disputes.
“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,” Shashi Tharoor added, according to ANI.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, 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 high-voltage Asia Cup Super Four encounter on September 21.
During Pakistan’s innings, opener Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century controversially 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 near the boundary, responded to jeers from Indian spectators by signaling “0-6” with his fingers. This was seen as a reference to Pakistan’s unfounded 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 they believe crossed the line of 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
