BCCI secretary warns Afridi over issuing political statements
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NEW DELHI: Indian cricket’s secretary Anurag Thakur on Wednesday warned Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi to avoid giving political statements, the Press Trust of India reported.
Thakur, who is secretary Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), took note of Afridi’s statement during the toss of the crucial World T20 tie between Pakistan and New Zealand in Mohali.
“We have a lot of support today. A lot of people from Kashmir have also come to support us,” Afridi had said, prompting the BCCI secretary to go public in condemnation of his words.
“To give a statement like that is not politically correct,” Thakur said, adding: “A player should stay away from all this. That’s the reason why he was criticised in Pakistan.”
The BCCI secretary referred to Afridi’s previous comments of “getting more love in India” that drew sharp criticism from former cricketers and people back home.
Meanwhile, after suffering a defeat against the Kiwis, Afridi indicated at calling it a day when Pakistan face Australia on March 25.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand by 22 runs. Batting first, the Kiwis posted a mammoth 180 to be chased down in 20 overs.
The challenge proved to be insurmountable for the Pakistan team, which ended their run-chase with just 158 on the board for the loss of five wickets.
With the victory, the Black Caps secured a berth in the semi-finals of the World T20, making them the first team to qualify.
Read more
I was only trying to give a positive message: Afridi
Nothing controversial about Afridi's statement: Waqar Younis
Afridi’s statement will ensure less hostility towards Pakistan: Gavaskar
Last chance for me, Afridi and team to do nation proud: Waqar
Afridi's reputation in the media is misleading: Andy Flower
New Zealand qualify for semis as Pakistan's chase fizzles out
On DawnNews
Comments (83) Closed
Mar 23, 2016 02:48pm
Whats wrong with naming Kashmiris to support Pakistan ?
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Mar 23, 2016 02:50pm
well he didn't say that all these people had come to liberate Kashmir from India, Kashmir is a sore point for India. Even the letter "K" will raise uproar in India. Cricket overall has become so much politicized and notorious that you can't go back to those golden days when its just merely treated as a sport, not religion.
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Mar 23, 2016 02:50pm
I saw a placard which was written that there is love for Lala from Kashmir or words to that effect. It is really no big deal and Thakur, BCCI or Pakistan cricket board should worry about. Simply sweating the small stuff
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Mar 23, 2016 02:51pm
Well I mean they do support us....Thakur needs to accept that!
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Mar 23, 2016 02:52pm
Welldone lala for speaking the truth....and mr.thakur truth is always bitter
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Mar 23, 2016 02:52pm
Well said thakur sir
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Mar 23, 2016 02:53pm
Now he has to go home. So he is making statement what inncocent pakistanis Want to head.
Play cricket man. You did all damage to your team.
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Mar 23, 2016 02:55pm
It was not political till the BCCI secretary made it political...there is nothing wrong in Afridi's statement...if it is cut right here it will end...
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Mar 23, 2016 02:55pm
If Sethi and Sheher yar can be cricket chief why cant afridi be a future politician. Specially when he has no future in Pakistan cricket
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Mar 23, 2016 02:58pm
So if people from Bengal support Pakistan, it is ok to say that. But if people from Kashmir support Pakistan, it somehow is not?
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Mar 23, 2016 03:00pm
What Bengal Chief Minister was doing
in a group match?Although India had played Newzealand.No one from govt officials was there to address whole stadium.It was not political.What was the problem with Afridi statement.He just mentioned that people from "Kashmir" are here to support them.
What so political in the statement?
Don't forget Pak India series was cancelled due to political reasons.
I also condemn that why Imran Khan went to India for a normal group match.
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Mar 23, 2016 03:19pm
Afridi's stars are not in right direction.
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Mar 23, 2016 03:29pm
Apart from what he says, I am sadden for having Afridi as a captain of my country most loving sport. Hope next Australia match would be his last in his international carrier or at least as a captain.
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Mar 23, 2016 03:40pm
It was intelligent for Shahid Afridi to bring Kashmir into toss conversation.
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Mar 23, 2016 03:47pm
Can BCCI and Mr. Anurag explain how is this a Political Statement? He only said a lot of people from Kashmir are here to support us. People from Kashmir have a right to support anyone they like or does Mr. Anurag Thakkar want to say with India's illegal occupation of Kashmir Indians have now also taken the right away from Kashmiris to support team of their liking
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Mar 23, 2016 03:51pm
I am Indian and I think there is absolutely no wrong what Afridi has said. It's not like the Kashmiris have supported Pak in India vs Pakistan Match. Pakistan is my second favorite team after India. I will always support Pak when they are not playing against India. I am fan of Mohammad Amir and why should not I support him. In the match Pak vs New zealand I was supporting Pak. And I am sure there are millions of Indians who support Pak. So why Indian people and politicians are over reacting? Just beacuse they are Kashmiris? Being a Kashmiri they don't have any right to support their favorite player or team?
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Mar 23, 2016 03:54pm
Pakistan zindabad long live Pakistan , we all Kashmirs love Pakistan from the core of our heart , we always want Pakistan cricket team to win against Indians . Dear Afridi you had millions of hearts of kashmiris. you are real hero even if you will out of pak team , we love you brother .
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Mar 23, 2016 04:01pm
Our Team very badly lost the battle against India, NZ and most likely against Oz, So what is the Big deal Who support who
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Mar 23, 2016 04:07pm
Agree with Gaurav. He knows he has to face Pakistani people at home. He has let his country down in Asia cup and now in T20 Imran is right he can't take pressure. He and others will be giving more similar statements to cover thei poor performance. PCB needs restructuring and new blood.
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Mar 23, 2016 04:21pm
Regarding India playing full home series with Pakistan :Politics n sports should not be mixed that's what PCB was telling BCCI all the last year or so ! So yes both sides don't mix the 2 things.
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Mar 23, 2016 04:21pm
Afridi's cricketing career is coming to an end. Looks like he will be joining the legend - IK
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Mar 23, 2016 04:27pm
People will find a way to criticize him.
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Mar 23, 2016 04:31pm
Seems like a very touchy statement from BCCI. Nothing political in the captain's statement - and I've read it a few times.
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Mar 23, 2016 04:32pm
That's the difference between good teams and bad ones. Good teams let their performance do the talking
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Mar 23, 2016 04:48pm
He also thanked the people of Kolkata in the very next sentence he uttered. So I don't think it was a political statement.
All he might wanted to say was that the people have come all the way from Kashmir to support.
Afridi speaks his heart out....weather it's a dismay here or there....and one should be like this only!
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Mar 23, 2016 05:08pm
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Shahid Afridi's statement.
BCCI stop being childish, yourself is politicizing the matter.
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Mar 23, 2016 05:38pm
Who is BCCI to warn Afridi ? Afridi does not play for India !
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Mar 23, 2016 05:41pm
@Bravo Well bengal CM was there because she had to score some political points as elections are due in few weeks in West Bengal, and some of her favoured constituency is of illegal immigrants across the border. And I agree to the ruse of a lot of Pakistanis as well, that the political drama should have been avoided. But then knowing Mamta Banerjee, we should be thankful she didn't ask cricketers from both India & Pakistan to imprint her photograph on their bats.
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Mar 23, 2016 05:44pm
How was this political? Afridi should take this matter up to court!
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Mar 23, 2016 06:01pm
Pakistan Zindabad
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Mar 23, 2016 06:02pm
Lala said stuff about something , bcci anurag fellow can have an opinion about it, as is his right, but to try and call it something(warning) that it can never be ... well thats setting oneself up for a jest and that too rather unwittingly .
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Mar 23, 2016 06:07pm
It was in bad taste. His job was to play cricket out there and not politics.
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Mar 23, 2016 06:11pm
Go on Afridi! you owe nothing to theese BCCI hawks. BCCI have its self operated politically wrong against Pak cricket so theese guys are not in a position to tell others what to do.
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Mar 23, 2016 06:13pm
Nothing wrong if he wud hv said this about Punjab crowd since the match played there. But nevertheless his statement shud consider as a sporty one only i/d of blowing out of proportion.
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Mar 23, 2016 06:19pm
I Beleive his last Oneday, Test were and T20 will be again Austalia. Thanks God a very mix chapter of Pak cricket will close.
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Mar 23, 2016 06:43pm
Nothing wrong with Afridi statement, BCCI is already politicized per govt. approvals!
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Mar 23, 2016 06:51pm
@Sammy
If you havent been to Mohali or Kolkata, let me tell you that even Indians supported you (Pakistan Team) when you were playing other teams.....To me one thing is clear.....percentage of Indians who support pakistan (when they play against other teams) is more than the percentage of pakistanis who support Indians (when Indians play against other teams).
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Mar 23, 2016 06:57pm
well if Afridi didn't say it, it was there to notice for everyone. Kashmiris had of course,come to support Pakistan.
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Mar 23, 2016 07:03pm
I don't agree with the BCCI views, because Afridi don't said that he needs political support, whereas he said for the cricket he has support, so BCCI is confused and didn't understood the sportsman statement. They are making an issue out of this statement.
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Mar 23, 2016 07:34pm
Ok now I understand why the crowd looked like Pakistanis? I swear I was throughly confused by the looks of these supporters!
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Mar 23, 2016 07:44pm
it is true that 90% kashmiri support pak cricket team.. ..but they always broke our hearts by defeating their easy matches. ..there should be some concrete measures taken for betterment for team betterment.. .
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Mar 23, 2016 08:05pm
That's not a fair criticism. What if Afridi had said people from Punjab have come to support our team.
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Mar 23, 2016 08:16pm
He should concentrate on cricket and winning.
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Mar 23, 2016 08:32pm
Afridi is not answerable to anyone - least of all you BCCI!
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Mar 23, 2016 08:41pm
Very correct and appropriate warning!
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Mar 23, 2016 08:52pm
I would say that they all pressurized first through agitations and shifted match from one place to another and our players were not able to perform, because psychologically had enough pressure. The second reason was poor performance of our PCB management who made sure that they loose the match, by inefficient planning. Plus there were politics within team, which one can easily smell out, so the government should take notice and remove the complete cricket broad and bring all senior players to manage the board.
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Mar 23, 2016 08:59pm
Indian media and government are famous for the hue and cry over petty issues. They should be ignored as their statements are just to provoke the Pakistanis plus it was not a political statement at all...!
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Mar 23, 2016 09:20pm
This is universal fact that no doubt Kashmiris supports Pakistan !
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Mar 23, 2016 09:29pm
And despite all this kashmiri support what did you do Lala? At least You could have made their day by winning.
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Mar 23, 2016 09:31pm
An immature and unwarranted statement from Anurag Thakur. Let Afridi say whatever he wants to say. No one ever wins wars of words, only the results of matches matter.
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Mar 23, 2016 09:48pm
Regardless of all the comments made by Lala going forward PCB now must bring in code of conduct and taking inti account the media and social media advancement hire a media professional to train players and officials what to say in front of media to avoid controversy.
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Mar 23, 2016 11:02pm
Forget about what he said or did not say. In the realm of things, it does not really matter. I saw the Pak-NZ match in full. If I saw correctly, Afridi was in tears towards the end of the match. He might have his good or bad ways, which has worked and not worked for Pak. But it does sadden me to see a sports person come to this stage. I guess it happens for every sportsperson. They have to see the last days in the game they have loved for a long long time
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Mar 23, 2016 11:02pm
Mr Thakur, you may silence your players on Kashmir, but not ours. Freedom of Kashmir is but a matter of time.
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Mar 23, 2016 11:04pm
Agree with BCCI. Keep the politics out of sports, Afridi should know Kashmir is a sensitive issue for both India and Pakistan even though out of politics Pakistanis fully support our brothers and sisters in Kashmir.
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Mar 23, 2016 11:04pm
Afridi is a cricketer, not a soldier
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Mar 23, 2016 11:09pm
He did everything except playing.
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Mar 23, 2016 11:15pm
So why is BCCI secretary warning Shahid Afridi, this is not a bilateral series.
If anything ICC should issue a statement.
Oh but wait a minute, its the same thing ... :):)
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Mar 23, 2016 11:19pm
@Gaurav - Next Imran Khan (Politician) in Making... First he said he gets more love in India ... now kashmir... tomorrow Paletine and people will forget his poor show :)
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Mar 23, 2016 11:29pm
Who is Anurag Thakur to warn him? where is ICC? so its true that ICC=Indian Cricket Council. India can arrange a political ceremony at the beginning of the Pak India Match in Calcutta than whats wrong in Afridi's statement. Mr Anurag Thakur should mind his own business and should not act as Hindu extremists trumpet.
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Mar 23, 2016 11:34pm
I agree, the statement from Afridi was not political. And being an Indian, I am glad that in the match between New Zealand and Pakistan, there were more Pakistan supporters waving the green flag. I would support Pakistan, if India was not playing. But Thakur has also asked him to refrain from issuing such statements, which is not incorrect from his point of view. I recently read an article in Dawn where a Pakistani guy who had posters of Virat Kohli and waved the Indian flag was put behind bars. But at least acknowledge that you saw hundreds of Indians waving Pakistan flags in Mohali. Peace !
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Mar 24, 2016 01:05am
On what basis BCCI secretary can issue a warning to a player from Pakistan? PCB must make strong response and set the record straight, else India is getting totally out of control...
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Mar 24, 2016 01:46am
bravo afridi. your this statement has won millions of people hearts.
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Mar 24, 2016 01:58am
IOK always support Pakistan in everything not just Cricket. BCCI should stick to Cricket don't play politics they have habit of playing politics with pakistan.
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Mar 24, 2016 03:31am
Well give him a break, he is sacked and possibly retired. Efforts should be made to eliminate the lobbies made within national team, if they don't lend their ways, then curtail the bounties of wealth they enjoy.
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Mar 24, 2016 03:41am
It is sad to see how a radical party like the BJP is politicizing cricket. Thakur needs to silence himself and be more professional, his warning is only representative of his party not the Indian people who I'm Sure just want to see Virat hitting Pakistani bowlers for sixes, the hatred for Pakistan is sadly so apparent in India now that I honestly don't see any cricket ties improving in the future.
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Mar 24, 2016 03:54am
Indians have started behaving as if they are our masters or rulers.....We should say what we feel is right not what the BCCI nobody thinks we should say.
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Mar 24, 2016 04:37am
It was a true statement all Kashmiris support Pakistan
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Mar 24, 2016 06:30am
@Ash bro BCCI has more money
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Mar 24, 2016 11:32am
Now I understood why Pakistan & Afridi have under performed consistently!!! A sportsperson should focus on sports & not on anything else. May be Afridi is trying to get the Pakistani peoples attention & Love by commenting on Kashmir as he wants to return back home after this disastrous tour & captaincy,
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Mar 24, 2016 11:33am
I too support Pakistan always when they are not playing against India... so no need to mention only kashmiri, how did he know they all supporting Pak team are Kashmiri? instead he could have said got the support from Indian fans. Basically Shahid doesnt understand all the time he speaks what he is talking so no need to read much in his statement.
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Mar 24, 2016 11:52am
the statement may have been wrong but afridi isnt, for this is the man who said pakistan team gets more love from indians than pakistanis...when u have simple people making statements from their heart it is very wrong to politicize.
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Mar 24, 2016 12:06pm
@Jawad Pakistani Then Afridi should stick to cricket. Mind you Anurag Thakur is also a MP. So he has a right to talk politics. What Afridi has to do in politics?
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Mar 24, 2016 12:48pm
Needless reaction by BCCI Secretary.
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Mar 24, 2016 02:07pm
Well, Afridi statement is a clear indication of his political ambitions after end of the cricketing career.
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Mar 24, 2016 03:15pm
Wish Afridi concentrate more on playing and captaining the Team rather thn giving such statemnets.
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Mar 24, 2016 03:22pm
Mr. Afridi is a good player and better not to make any controversial statement what is need for a sportsman to make such statement?
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Mar 24, 2016 04:16pm
BCCI, what about your politics in ICC and around the world, you are the only contributor in creating mess in ICC and international cricket politics
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Mar 24, 2016 07:19pm
Lala, Kashmiris came to support you, but why did you break their hearts by playing ruthless shots. Kashmiri Muslims are a very sad people, why did you not think about cheering them up with good Cricket.
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Mar 24, 2016 07:33pm
Sorry to say, that India started politicizing cricket by blocking the India - Pakistan series as recent as last year. When PCB pressured BCCI, and requested them not to politicize cricket their response was ' Politics can not be dissociated with sports events' .
So why are they crying now??
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Mar 24, 2016 07:51pm
Dilemmas Afridi has to deal with:
Off the field: BCCI,PCB, Media & heavy criticism from people around the world!
On the field: Batting performance of other players, crappy pitches, negativity of cricket commentators!
No worries my friend Afridi; you will still come out as individual a HERO!!!
I look forward to your Hampshire career; where there is better management, better pitches and no BCCI or PCB!!!!
Afridi you Rock!
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Mar 24, 2016 08:24pm
What is wrong he said, I saw people from Kashmir wearing Pakistani shirts and holding banners that they are from Kashmir and came to see Afridi.
What is the political statement here?
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Mar 24, 2016 08:50pm
Sportsman are diplomat of the country they represent, avoid political statement
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Mar 24, 2016 11:51pm
Lala, Thakur, Raja, Khwaja lets enjoy the game regardless of who supports who.
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