As India and Pakistan eye a potential Asia Cup final showdown on Sunday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Indian players refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts.

Sport should not mirror political conflict

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said that while strong emotions against Pakistan are understandable, cricket should not be dragged into political disputes.

“I personally feel that once the decision was made to play, if we feel so strongly about Pakistan, then we should not have played them at all. But if we are going to play, we should play in the spirit of the game and shake hands. We did this even in 1999 during the Kargil War, when soldiers were dying on the frontlines and yet we shook hands with Pakistan during the World Cup in England,” he said.

‘If we play, play in right spirit’

Tharoor emphasized that cricket carries a spirit of its own, separate from the hostilities between two nations. He argued that by denying players the basic gesture of respect, the essence of sportsmanship is being undermined.

Also Read: ICC match referee Andy Pycroft apologises to Pakistan team officials

Lack of sportsmanship on both sides

The Congress MP also criticized the behaviour of both teams during the Asia Cup, saying the controversy had escalated unnecessarily.

“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 noted.

Last week, ICC’s controversial match referee Andy Pycroft apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team.

During the India–Pakistan match on September 14, Pycroft had prevented both team captains from shaking hands. The Pakistan Cricket Board reacted strongly to Pycroft’s action. He termed the incident as a result of miscommunication and offered an apology.