Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday launched a scathing attack on India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav over his dedication of the Asia Cup's Sunday match win against Pakistan to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Taking swipe at Yadav, AAP leader said in a press conference, “He (Suryakumar) said he dedicated this win to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack so easily. You are very understanding.”
Bhardwaj further went on to challenge the Indian captain, saying, “Agar tumhari aukaat hai, aur tumhari BCCI ki aukaat hai, aur tumhari ICC ki aukaat hai, toh tumhe dusri chunauti bhi dete hai. Jitna paisa tumne in broadcasting rights se kamaya hai, advertisers se kamaya hai, aur iss pure dhande mein aapne kamaya hai, de do un 26 vidhwahon ko. Hum bhi maan jayenge tumne dedicate kiya hai, (If you have the courage, and if the BCCI and the ICC have the courage, then here’s another challenge for you. Whatever money you earned from broadcasting rights, from advertisers, and from this entire business, give it to the 26 widows. Then we will believe that you truly dedicated it).”
He added, “Himmat nahi hai inki, aukaat nahi hai inki ki kar sake. Haan, farzi mein kuchh bhik bol do ki humne isko dedicate kiya hai aur humne usko dedicate kiya hai. (They don’t have the courage, they don’t have the standing to actually do anything. Yes, they can falsely claim that they are dedicating this or that.) This is very embarrassing.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “Himmat nahi hai inki, aukaat nahi hai inki ki kar sake. Haan, farzi mein kuchh bhik bol do ki humne isko dedicate kiya hai aur humne usko dedicate kiya hai. (They don’t have the courage, they don’t have the standing to actually do anything. Yes, they can falsely claim that they are dedicating this or that.) This is very embarrassing.”
{{/usCountry}}Neither Suryakumar Yadav nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued an immediate response to the AAP leader's remarks.
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India refused handshake after win
India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets on Sunday in a match that had faced boycott calls on social media and among the political circles following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
After team India's victory, Yadav said the win was dedicated to “our armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor” and added that the team “stands with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.”
Indian players, at the same time, skipped the customary handshake with their Pakistani counterparts.
At the toss, captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha had also refrained from shaking hands. After the win, Yadav and Shivam Dube walked straight to the dressing room, with the team closing the door behind them while Pakistan players waited for the gesture.
The Asia Cup fixture was played despite demands from opposition parties to boycott matches against Pakistan. The Centre, however, did not object to India’s participation in the multi-nation tournament.
Union minister Manohar Lal defended the decision, saying sport and security should not be conflated. “...Both issues are different. As far as the matter of the India vs. Pakistan match, Operation Sindoor, and other things are concerned, nobody will say that the match will happen just by comparing them. But as far as the game is concerned, the game has sentiment, and players also worked hard for it, so it is not fair to oppose it. That's why whatever has been decided has been decided thoughtfully,” he told reporters on Saturday.