With India and Pakistan likely to clash in the Asia Cup final on Sunday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Indian players refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the tournament.
Speaking to ANI, Tharoor emphasised that while emotions against Pakistan are understandable, the spirit of the game should remain separate from politics and military conflicts. “Once the decision had been made to play, if we are going to play them, we should play in the spirit of a game, and we should have shaken their hands. We did this in 1999, during the Kargil War, even while soldiers were dying for our country. The spirit of the game is different from the tensions between nations or armies,” he said.
Tharoor also noted that the reactions from both teams reflected a lack of sportsmanship. “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,” he added.
The comments come after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) lodged a formal complaint with the ICC against Pakistan cricketers Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf for inappropriate on-field conduct during the Asia Cup Super Four match on September 21. Farhan celebrated his half-century controversially by holding his bat like a gun, while Rauf responded to Indian fans’ jeers with a gesture referencing unverified claims of downed Indian jets, which went viral on social media.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board had filed complaints against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, alleging his comments on the Pahalgam incident were political. India has already defeated Pakistan twice in the tournament and may face them again in Sunday’s final.
