New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the controversy over Indian cricketers refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup, arguing that sportsmanship 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,” Tharoor said. “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.”
He further said that reactions from both sides had reflected poorly on the sport. “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 remarked.
The controversy escalated after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) lodged an official complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and match referee Andy Pycroft against Pakistani players Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf. Farhan was criticized for celebrating his half-century by holding his bat like a gun, while Rauf faced backlash for provocative gestures, including taunting Indian spectators with a “0-6” sign referencing Pakistan's groundless claims that they downed six Indian fighter jets during the clash at the border after India's Operation Sindoor.
In turn, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier filed complaints against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, accusing him of making political remarks. The exchanges have come amid India’s dominant run in the tournament, with the team defeating Pakistan twice en route to the Asia Cup final, where the two sides may meet again on Sunday.
In a broader reflection on the issue, Tharoor emphasized that India’s long-term aim should be to foster conditions that encourage peaceful coexistence rather than perpetually demonizing its neighbor.
“India’s long-term goal should not be to perpetually demonize Pakistan. It should be to encourage a political and social environment across the border that is less susceptible to radical ideologies and more inclined towards peaceful coexistence. This is not a naive aspiration but a pragmatic on,” Tharoor said.
He added: “The handshake, in this larger context, is not a small gesture. It is a symbol of our ability to be the better nation, to rise above the fray, and to demonstrate a maturity that befits a global leader, a would-be Vishwaguru. By refusing it, we do not hurt our opponents; we only diminish ourselves.”