It seems to be the India vs Pakistan season in the cricket calendar. The two arch-rivals have already met once in a Group-stage Asia Cup 2023 fixture which was marred by rain. However, the two teams have secured a place for themselves in the Super Fours round of the continental tournamemt and will meet again on September 10 in Colombo. In case, both the sides manage to reach the finals, they will square off at the same venue on September 17.
With the two teams locking horns on the field, there is a word of war going on between former cricketers of India and Pakistan. While ex-India batter Gautam Gambhir had recently said that he reckons that players of India and Pakistan should remain friends outside the field, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has disagreed with his remark. Gambhir's remark came after the current members of the Indian and Pakistani squad were seen enjoying a light moment before the start of the match.
"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," Gambhir had said on Star Sports.
"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," the cricketer-turned-politician added.
However, Afridi differed and suggested that should be upon them as cricketers to send a message of love.
"That is his thought. I think differently. We are cricketers and ambassadors as well, we all have fans across the globe. So it is better to send out a message of love and respect. Yes there is aggression on the field, but there is life off the field as well," Afridi told Pakistan press on Wednesday (September 6).