What They Said: Statements by Gambhir and Afridi
While cricketers from both Pakistan and India avoided major controversy during the majority of the 2011 ICC World Cup, a couple of ill-advised statements book-ending the final of the international sporting event got people on both sides of the border steamed up as simmering distrust and animosity between the two nations was brought to a furious boil.
Much has been said about the comments of Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and India’s Gautam Gambhir. Here, for the record, is what they said. For Afridi, click play on the embedded video. For Gambhir, a few excerpts from the Indian press have been included below.
Here’s a clip of Afridi’s interview on Samaa television:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmtV2Ow2XRg[/youtube]
You can see the entire video here.
Below is a quote by Gambhir and a couple of excerpts from the Indian media reflecting his comments.
From the Hindustan Times:
“…if we win the final, for me, it’ll be dedicated to the people who
lost their lives in the 26/11 massacre. To my mind, a win against
Pakistan and a win in the final and that too in Mumbai should be
dedicated to those victims.”
From another article in the Hindustan Times:
The ‘patriotic’ streak was apparent as Gambhir recounted his chance meeting with some armymen during a visit to Jammu. “One of them was so emotional that he suggested I get a tattoo on my body saying, ‘I will never lose to Pakistan.’ The tattoo hasn’t happened but the sentiment is etched on my heart and soul.”
From the Economic Times:
Gambhir said he was “sure” the win against Pakistan would have helped those affected by the attacks and that victory should be dedicated to the victims.
To read more about the controversy, visit the links below:
