"Shook hands with Pakistan even during Kargil War": Shashi Tharoor wants Indian cricketers to play in the spirit of the game

New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): With India and Pakistan likely to face up 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.

While speaking to ANI, Tharoor said that while the emotions against Pakistan are understandable, the spirit of the game should be kept 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... 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," Tharoor said.

The senior Congress leader further remarked that the reactions from both sides showed 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.

On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially lodged a complaint against Pakistan cricketers Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf for their inappropriate actions during the high-voltage Asia Cup's Super Four encounter on September 21.

According to BCCI sources, a 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 behaviour.

During Pakistan's innings, opener Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century in controversial fashion by holding his bat like a gun, a move that has been widely criticised as being insensitive and provocative.

Later in the match, pacer Haris Rauf came under fire for multiple incidents. After dismissing Sanju Samson, Rauf showed aggression, and later when he was stationed near the boundary rope, responded to the jeers from Indian spectators by lifting his fingers to indicate "0-6", a reference to Pakistan's groundless claims that they downed six Indian fighter jets during the four-day clash at the border after India's Operation Sindoor in May this year.

Rauf's reaction spread like wildfire, and videos of his gesture went viral on social media. The 31-year-old drew flak from numerous Indian fans, who trolled and lampooned him for his action. During the incident, Rauf was teased by the fans with the chants of "Virat Kohli", as the legendary batter had hit him for two successive sixes during a tense run-chase of 160 runs at Melbourne during the T20 World Cup 2022, one of which has been described by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the 'Shot of the Century'.

Interestingly, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier lodged two complaints with the ICC against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav.PCB was against Suryakumar Yadav's comment after the game on September 14 on the Pahalgam incident, as according to them, he made it political.

India humiliated Pakistan in the two matches they played against each other, as they advanced to the finals of the Asia Cup. There is a possibility that they might face them again in Sunday's final. (ANI)

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