MS Dhoni greeted with ‘Boom Boom Afridi’ chants in Jammu and Kashmir
MS Dhoni, the former Indian cricket team skipper, is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir as a chief-guest of an army-sponsored cricket tournament in the valley but in a video that has emerged, crowds chanted ‘Boom Boom Afridi’.
MS Dhoni’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir has generated plenty of headlines in the country. From making his views clear on India vs Pakistan to interacting with youngsters in the Kashmir valley, the former India skipper has had a busy time.
Dhoni, who is an honorary Lt Col in the army, was the chief-guest of an army-sponsored cricket tournament in the valley. It was during his visit recently to the stadium in Jammu and Kashmir that a video emerged where people present were greeting the former India skipper with chants of ‘Boom, Boom Afridi’, in reference to Pakistan’s former talismanic all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
The security personnel deployed at the venue tried pushing the crowd back but to no avail as the crowd kept chanting the Pakistan all-rounder’s name. Afridi had retired from international cricket last year but his achievements had made him a cult figure in Pakistan.
During the cricket tournament in Kunzer, which is 35 kms from Srinagar, Dhoni had said, “An India-Pakistan cricket series is much more than just sport. It’s not a simple decision. It’s a diplomatic as well as political decision. It’s best left to the government to take a call.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board had sent a legal notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, initiating proceedings to seek compensation for failing to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two cricket boards in 2014. The BCCI has made it amply clear, that it won’t play any series with Pakistan, given the current tension between the two nations.
India last played a bilateral Test series against Pakistan in 2007 while the last bilateral ODI and Twenty20 International series was held in India in 2012. The two teams play each other only in International Cricket Council tournaments like the Champions Trophy, World T20 and the World Cup.