The effervescent 18-year-old youngster of the Pakistani cricket team and a serial-retirement taker—infamously known as Shahid Afridi has come under the radar of Indian cricketers. After making a horrid speech against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Pakistan occupied Kashmir—Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, and Gautam Gambhir were some of the few Indian cricketers that blasted Afridi for his vile statements.
What @SAfridiOfficial is saying is not surprising. Pakistan was created on foundation of Hindu hatred.
When a Pakistani comes to India to make money through films, sports, business or even as a tourist, he puts on a mask of “love & humanity”.
This is the face behind the mask. pic.twitter.com/TCCQwE22rG
— Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) (@majorgauravarya) May 17, 2020
Yuvraj Singh said that he was “really disappointed” with the comments Afridi made against PM Narendra Modi and stated that he had made the appeal for donation “for the sake of humanity”.
Really disappointed by @SAfridiOfficial‘s comments on our Hon’b PM @narendramodi ji. As a responsible Indian who has played for the country, I will never accept such words. I made an appeal on your behest for the sake of humanity. But never again.
Jai Hind 🇮🇳
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) May 17, 2020
Lending support to Yuvraj was the off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who vowed: “never again no matter what”.
Yes NEVER AGAIN no matter what https://t.co/PZBWAEoloR
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) May 17, 2020
Speaking to India Today, Harbhajan, a veteran of 100 tests with 417 scalps further said, “This man (Afridi) is talking ill about our country. All I have to say is we have nothing to do with Shahid Afridi. He has no right to speak ill against our country and he should stay in his country and limits,”
The off-spinner even apologized to anyone who had been hurt by his action and promised that he will never speak for anyone who spreads hate against India. Harbhajan said his friendship was limited to the cricket field but it is no longer there.
“Today or tomorrow, if my country needs me anywhere, even if at the border, I will be the first one to pick up a gun for the sake of my country.” the turbanator thundered.
Both the players had made pleas last month to contribute to the Shahid Afridi Foundation to help in its fight against Coronavirus.
After the video went viral, both players were caught in the line of fire as Indians across social media platforms criticized them for supporting Afridi, who is a well-known India hater.
For Harbhajan and Yuvraj, the entire episode might serve as a lesson that no matter how much you try, the Pakistanis are one sick breed and for them, Indians are merely ‘Kaafirs’. Therefore striking the hornet’s nest was bound to hurt them eventually.
Current Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan also joined Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh in slamming Afridi for his distasteful comments.
The southpaw came out with a tweet that might have put Afridi to his place. “Kashmir was, is and will always be ours. Even if you get 22 crores, our one is equal to 15 lakh. Count the rest on your own,” Dhawan tweeted.
Is waqt jab saari duniya corona se lad rahi hai us waqt bhi tumko kashmir ki padi hai.
Kashmir humara tha humare hai aur humara hi rahega. Chaiyeh 22 crore le ao, humara ek, sava lakh ke barabar hai . Baaki ginti apne aap kar lena @SAfridiOfficial— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) May 17, 2020
Another former Indian opener and a BJP MP now, Gautam Gambhir minced no words in giving the stick to Afridi.
Pak has 7 lakh force backed by 20 Cr ppl says 16 yr old man @SAfridiOfficial. Yet begging for Kashmir for 70 yrs. Jokers like Afridi, Imran & Bajwa can spew venom against India & PM @narendramodi ji to fool Pak ppl but won't get Kashmir till judgment day! Remember Bangladesh?
— Gautam Gambhir (Modi Ka Parivar) (@GautamGambhir) May 17, 2020
The Pakistani has been so wound up with Gambhir that he had to dedicate an entire chapter in his autobiography to disparage the Indian opener.
Talk about living rent-free in someone’s mind—after all, Gambhir’s match-winning knock in the 2007 T20 WC final still haunts Afridi and entire Pakistan.
This is not the first time that Afridi has stirred the pot of controversy with his loose talks. After Modi government’s historic decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir last year, Afridi had tweeted in support of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal to show solidarity with Kashmiri.
Let’s respond to PM call for Kashmir Hour as a nation. I will be at Mazar e Quaid at 12 pm on Friday. Join me to express solidarity with our Kashmiri brethren.
On 6 Sep I will visit home of a Shaheed. I will soon be visiting LOC.— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) August 28, 2019
Shahid Afridi once mentioned that when Pakistani cricketers are facing Indian cricketers on the ground, their orders are clear: “go and destroy them, almost like a suicide bomber does”. Despite such bomb pep talks, Pakistan, unfortunately, has never been able to beat India in World Cups across the formats.
Afridi is clearly a minion of ISI and Pakistani Army, working at their behest, trying to manufacture controversy every now and then. Just like Imran Khan, Afridi might be looking to foray into politics and therefore he is making such statements to stay in the limelight.
