Since the handshake incident, all the stakeholders of Pakistan Cricket seem more interested in one-upping India rather than winning. Statements from current and former officials and cricketers highlight the mindset. But even players in the Asia Cup squad are more focused on showboating or insulting India instead of beating them in a cricket match.
India vs Pakistan rivalry, over?
It’s these antics, because of which former India player Deep Dasgupta believes the India vs Pakistan rivalry no longer exists. The statement was made by India captain Suryakumar Kumar after the match, where he stated the competition between the two teams is one-sided and therefore can’t be labelled as a rivalry.
“Post-match, Suryakumar Yadav said there isn’t any rivalry between India and Pakistan. I completely agree. There can’t be a rivalry between men and children. There’s a reason why I’m saying this,” Deep said on X.
Sahibzada Farhan’s insensitive gun celebration
After scoring a fifty, Sahibzada Farhan seemingly mocked the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. Deep thinks this shows the current mentality of Pakistani players. It highlights their ‘bachpana’ and lack of maturity.
“Sahibzada Farhan’s celebration – how insensitive can you be in a situation like that? You played well and scored a half-century, but how insensitive. People have lost their lives, and families have lost their loved ones. How can you celebrate like that? And this shows the childish behaviour (bachpana) and lack of maturity. At this level, it’s not about your skill but what’s inside your head, your thought process, and your mentality. And that’s where the rivalry ends. If they continue like this, it won’t exist,” he added.
Haris Rauf’s not focused on bowling
But that wasn’t all. Haris Rauf acted even worse. The fast bowler, while stationed near the boundary, enacted the skirmish between Indian and Pakistani armed forces in May after fans mocked him. He propagated a common belief in Pakistan that they shot down 6 Indian jets while India couldn’t do any damage to them.
“Haris Rauf, taking on the crowd, you just focus on your job and deliver. For 10-15 seconds of fun, you are losing your focus and worrying about needless things, and that’s what shows they are childish,” Deep concluded.
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