Indian and Pakistani players great each other after their Asia Cup match was called off due to rain, at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
As heavy rainfall lead to the match at the Pallekel International Stadium in Sri Lanka being called off last Saturday, Indian and Pakistani players were observed engaging in friendly banter.
Cricketer-turned-BJP MP Gautam Gambhir, however, voiced his opinion against such camaraderie being exhibited during matches.
During an interview with Star Sports in the middle of the game, Gambhir expressed his belief that the Indian team represents the nation's 140 crore people and that friendly gestures between players should be reserved for interactions outside the field.
"When you play on the field for your national team, you must leave the friendship outside the boundary ropes. Game face hona zaroori hai. Dosti bahaar rehni chahiye. There has to be an aggression in the eyes of both sets of players. You can be as friendly as you want after those six or seven hours of cricket. Those hours are very important, because you're not just representing yourself, you're representing a nation of over a billion. These days you see players of rival teams patting each other on the back and exchanging fist bumps during a match. You would never see that a few years ago. Aap friendly match hi khel rahe ho," Gambhir told the presenters.