Shashi Tharoor on India-Pakistan match: 'Sports should be kept separate from politics'

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Guwahati: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday that sports should be kept separate from politics and military issues.

He was commenting on the incident where Indian cricketers refused to shake hands with Pakistani players after their recent match in the T20 Asia Cup.

In an interview with ANI, Tharoor said that if India felt strongly against Pakistan, the match should not have been played. "If we had strong objections, we shouldn't have played," he said. However, he added, "If we play, we should do so in the spirit of the game, including shaking hands."

Tharoor also recalled the 1999 World Cup during the Kargil War, when Indian soldiers were fighting while the Indian cricket team played Pakistan.

"Even then, we shook hands because the spirit of the game is separate from what happens between countries and armies," he explained.

Tharoor criticized both teams for lacking sportsmanship. "If Pakistan reacted by insulting us back, it shows a lack of sportsmanship on both sides," he said.

After the Asia Cup match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his partner Shivam Dube walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team.

Yadav later dedicated the win to the Indian armed forces and expressed solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

This was the first match between India and Pakistan since the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam and the Indian military's response with 'Operation Sindoor.'

Despite criticism, India won both their group-stage matches, defeating the UAE by nine wickets and Pakistan by seven wickets.