Shahid Afridi Attacks Modi Govt, Praises Rahul Gandhi After Handshake Drama

Shahid Afridi Attacks Modi Govt

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has caused yet another stir with his remarks during the Asia Cup 2025 handshake incident. After India refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players, Afridi called out the Modi government for “playing the religion card” to keep their base intact. Notably, Afridi also praised Rahul Gandhi for sloganizing for calm and dialogue between the two countries.

Asia Cup 2025: The Handshake That Sparked Debate

After the India versus Pakistan Asia Cup game in Dubai, something unexpected happened. The Indian cricketers didn’t shake hands with the Pakistani players.

What Was It About?

Many saw this as a quiet statement from the Indian team. It came after a terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025 where 26 people died, which led to a four-day fight.

The Reaction

Even before the match, there was a lot of talk online about boycotting Pakistan cricket. This only made the atmosphere around the game even more politically charged.

Shahid Afridi’s Explosive Remarks

Speaking on Samaa TV, Shahid Afridi launched a sharp attack on the Indian government.

“This government plays the religion card, plays the Muslim-Hindu card to come to power. This is a very nasty mindset. Rahul Gandhi has a positive mindset. He wants to walk with everyone, with the entire world, through dialogues,” Afridi said.

Key Points from Sahid Afridi’s Statement:

Claimed the Indian government was trying to follow a path similar to Israel’s hardline approach. Accused the Modi government of creating division through religion-based politics. Praised Rahul Gandhi for promoting peace and open dialogue.

Afridi Defends Indian Cricketers

What is surprising is that Afridi was not blaming the Indian players directly. He rather implied that they were executing instructions from the management.

BCCI & Government Pressure: Afridi claimed that the BCCI and the Indian government had given the players the directive not to have post-match handshakes.

Players Are Innocent: He went on to say that Indian cricketers should be the last people to be blamed for the act as they were victims of public mood and political directives.

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PCB’s Feedback and ICC’s Reaction

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially raised concerns over India’s no-handshake gesture and even requested the ICC referee, Andy Pycroft, to be withdrawn from the rest of the Asia Cup officiating roster.

Nevertheless, the ICC did not respond to PCB’s request, and took no action against India or the match referee.

Why Afridi’s Words Are Important

Shahid Afridi talks about India and Pakistan a lot, but some folks are surprised he said nice things about Rahul Gandhi. Because he said this during the Asia Cup 2025, everyone’s really paying attention.

For fans, this shows that cricket between India and Pakistan is still mixed up with politics, and the drama often goes past just the game.

India-Pakistan cricket rages have been taken to a different level again by the Asia Cup 2025 handshake controversy, which is still out of the pitch. Besides, the actors in the drama are busy with politics and public reactions while they neither want nor expect such a situation.

The situation in the Asia Cup is such that there is absolutely no doubt that the rivalry between India and Pakistan is the conflict with the maximum political overtones among all those existing in the cricketing world.