The war of words between former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Shahid Afridi intensified after Afridi made a veiled dig at the Indian Army, prompting a strong and patriotic response from Dhawan.
In a tweet addressing Afridi, Dhawan said,
“Kargil mein bhi haraya tha, already itna gire hue ho aur kitna giroge, bewajah comments pass karne se acha hai apne desh ki taraqqi mai dimag lagao @SAfridiOfficial. Humein hamari Indian Army par bohot garv hai. Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Jai Hind!”
(“We defeated you in the Kargil war. You’ve already stooped low—how much further will you fall? Instead of making pointless remarks, use your energy for your country’s development. We are very proud of our Indian Army. Long live India!”)
Afridi responded with a sarcastic tweet showing himself holding a cup of tea, writing,
“Chouro jeet haar ko, aao tumhey chae pilata hun Shikhar.”
(“Forget winning or losing, come, let me serve you some tea, Shikhar.”)
This “tea” reference is widely seen as a taunt related to the 2019 incident involving IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan after his aircraft was downed. A video of him calmly sipping tea during his captivity had gone viral at the time, symbolizing bravery and composure.
Amid this exchange, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly added his voice to the growing calls to cut cricketing ties with Pakistan in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
“Absolutely, cricketing ties should be severed with Pakistan. This is not something to be taken lightly. Terrorism must not be tolerated,” Ganguly said during an interaction with reporters in Kolkata.
With public sentiment running high and border tensions escalating, the sporting and diplomatic relationship between the two nations continues to come under intense scrutiny.
