Venkatesh Prasad, Harsha Bhogle slam Waqar Younis for calling Rizwan’s on-field namaz in front of Hindus special
Waqar Younis (Image Via IANS)
New Delhi | Former India cricketers Venkatesh Prasad, Aakash Chopra, and noted commentator Harsha Bhogle on Tuesday slammed former Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis for his controversial statement that opener Mohammad Rizwan offering namaz “in front of Hindus was very special to him”.
Rizwan, who emerged as the protagonist in Pakistan’s historic win over India at the ICC World T20, had offered Namaz during the dri’k’s break in Dubai. A video of Rizwan offering namaz during the drinks break of the match on Sunday went viral.
Borders divide. Prostration to Almighty Allah unites. Congratulations to #Rizwan. He has declared it loudly, when it comes to the prayer time all businesses are put aside even if the world dislikes it. pic.twitter.com/svMdEJICDJ
— Dr Yasir Nadeem Al Wajidi (@Mufti_Yasir) October 24, 2021
In a conversation with Shoaib Akhtar and Pakistani journalist, former Pakistan bowling coach Waqar said that Rizwan performing Namaz during the match was a special moment for him.
“Sabse ache baat jo Rizwan ne ki. Usne ground mein khade hoke Naamaz padhe, hinduon ke beech mein…So that was really something very very special for me. (What I liked the most is what Rizwan did. He stood in the middle of the ground and read the prayers, in front of the Hindus),” Waqar was quoted as saying by Arya News.
“Rizwan offered Namaz during #INDvPAK match in middle of Hindus was most satisfying thing Mashallah, even more than his batting”
– Waqar Younis & Shoaib Akhtar discusspic.twitter.com/ELTVJSTqh4
— Pakistan Untold (@pakistan_untold) October 26, 2021
Waqar’s remark did not go down well with fans and has irked a few former Indian cricketers too.
Reacting to his remarks, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad called Waqar a shameless man.
“Hinduon ke beech me khade hoke namaaz padi, that was very very special for me” – Waqar. Takes jihadi mindset of another level to say this in a sport. What a shameless man,” tweeted Prasad.
“Hinduon ke beech me khade hoke namaaz padi, that was very very special for me” – Waqar .
Takes jihadi mindset of another level to say this in a sport. What a shameful man.— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) October 26, 2021
Meanwhile, noted Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle also took to Twitter and labelled the statement of the former cricketer as one of the most disappointing things he has heard lately.
“For a person of Waqar Younis’ stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible,” Bhogle shared a lengthy thread about Younis’ controversial statement on Twitter.
For a person of Waqar Younis' stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 26, 2021
“You would think that cricketers, as ambassadors of our game, would be a little more responsible. I am sure there will be an apology on the way from Waqar. We need to unite the cricket world, not divide it by religion.
“I really hope that a lot of genuine sports lovers in Pakistan are able to see the dangerous side to this statement and join in my disappointment. It makes it very difficult for sports lovers like us to try and tell people it is just sport, just a cricket match,” he added.
Taking cognizance of Waqar’s remarks, cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra also tweeted, “Et tu, Waqar!”
Et tu, Waqar! ?
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 26, 2021
Babar Azam-led Pakistani t’am defeated Virat Kohli’s India by 10 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 match in Dubai on Sunday. Before this game, Pakistan had never won a World Cup match against India in any format.
IANS
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