KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi gave a strong reply to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dragging politics into cricket.

After India’s Asia Cup win, Modi congratulated the team on the social media platform “X” and tried to link the victory to “Operation Sandur.” Afridi reacted sharply, saying Pakistan has always treated sports as sports and valued sportsmanship. He added that when the real test of war came, the world saw the result, a clear 0-7 score when Indian jets were downed.

Here’s the real difference . We have always played with pure sportsmanship, keeping war out of the game. But the world saw it when war hit the scoreboard read 7-0 . #Big_office_small_man https://t.co/LGxCf8Tz8R

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 29, 2025

Afridi’s remarks sparked debate in India as well. The opposition party Congress criticized Modi’s approach, calling it unacceptable. Congress leader Atul Patel said sports should remain limited to the field and not be used for war propaganda or political gains. He questioned whether Modi even understands the sensitivity of foreign policy and diplomacy.

This exchange has once again highlighted the tension between politics and sports in South Asia.

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