'India Is Not Our Enemy': Ex-Pakistan Spinner Danish Kaneria Hits Back At Shahid Afridi
Danish Kaneria was reacting to Shahid Afridi's remarks where he accused the former leg-spinner of giving interviews to 'our enemy country' that can 'incite religious sentiments'.
New Delhi: In a fresh salvo at his former teammate Shahid Afridi, former leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on Monday said India was not Pakistan's enemy and dared him not to appear on any Indian media channel in the future. Kaneria was reacting to Afridi's remarks where he accused the former leg-spinner of giving interviews to "our enemy country" that can "incite religious sentiments".
"India is not our enemy. Our enemies are those who instigate people in the name of religion. If you consider India as your enemy, then don't ever go to any Indian media channel," Kaneria said in a tweet, tagging Afridi.
In another tweet, Kaneria said, "When I raised my voice against forced conversion, I was threatened that my career would be destroyed."
The latest tweet by Kaneria comes days after he accused Afridi of mistreatment towards him during his cricketing days in the Pakistan team. Speaking to IANS, Kaneria said he could have played a lot more than the 18 ODIs he featured in had it not been for Afridi.
"Shoaib Akhtar was the first person to talk about my problem in public. Hats off to him for saying it (how I was mistreated in the team because of being a Hindu). However, he was later pressured by several authorities. He then stopped talking about it. But yes, it did happen to me. I was always degraded by Shahid Afridi. We used to play together for the same department, he used to keep me on the bench and didn't let me play the one-day tournament," Kaneria told IANS.
"He didn't want me to be in the team. He was a liar, manipulator... because he's a characterless person. However, my focus was only on cricket and I used to ignore all these tactics. Shahid Afridi was the only person who would go to other players and provoke them against me. I was performing well and he was jealous of me. I am proud that I played for Pakistan. I was grateful," Kaneria further said.
Between 2000 and 2010, Kaneria played 61 Tests, taking 261 wickets at 34.79. He also represented Pakistan in 18 ODIs, taking 15 wickets at 45.53. He sitll remains the highest wicket-taking spinner for Pakistan in Tests.
Responding to the charges, Afridi questioned the timing of these allegations after 15-20 years. He said Kaneria was like his younger brother and he played with him for many years.
READ | 'Accusing Me To Get Cheap Fame & Make Money': Shahid Afridi Hits Back At Danish Kaneria
"And the person saying all this, look at his own character. He is accusing me to get cheap fame and make money," Afridi said.
"Everyone knows about his character. If my attitude was bad then why he did not complain to the Pakistan Cricket Board or the department he was playing for. He is giving interviews to our enemy country which can incite religious sentiments," Afridi further said.
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